First HeadStart home approved

Developers in Yorkton have received approval to proceed on some of the first projects in the province's HeadStart on a Home Program.

Seven three-bedroom duplexes (14 units total) on Good Spirit Crescent, constructed by Deneschuk Homes, will be the first of a proposed 35 new entry-level homes to be built in the city through the program. The first two of these duplexes should start construction in April and be ready for possession by around September.

HeadStart on a Home is a Saskatchewan government program aiming to build at least 1,000 new homes across the province in the next five years.

Various incentives have been made available to developers and buyers to further this goal, including $5,000 in funding to qualified buyers from the City of Yorkton and the option of a five-year prime-rate down payment loan from Cornerstone Credit Union.

The new homes must be owner-occupied, meaning that they cannot be purchased for rental purposes.

The Good Spirit Crescent units will be 1,148 square feet with an attached garage. They will cost $236,000 including GST but excluding appliances.

"The other interesting thing about this project is it's all secondary suite-capable," said Lee Rusnak, president of Deneschuk Homes. "It'll be kind of set up from the start to accommodate a secondary suite in the basement."

A second HeadStart project in Yorkton by Terra Developments has also been approved, but details have not yet been released.