Seniors in the city will have a choice of 89 new homes for affordable living in a little more than a year when two new developments are completed in Copper Ridge and Takhini.

At a news conference this morning, the federal and territorial governments announced they will put $1.4 million toward the two housing projects under the Canada/Yukon Housing Agreement.

Falcon Ridge Chalet Village will sit on the empty lot beside Ecole Emilie Trembly at Raven Place.

Normandy Manor will be located at the former Range Road power plant next to a daycare and near Takhini Elementary School.

'Normandy Manor is not an old folks' home,' Stan Borud of Borud Enterprises said during the press conference at the Westmark Whitehorse Hotel.

The project, to be completed next summer, will see the current building renovated and added onto for 25 apartments designed for residents 55 and older who want to continue living independently with a bit of help.

'These are assisted-care homes,' Borud explained. House cleaning and meal services will be included, with a laundry service also available, he said.

As well, a recreation program will be developed based on what residents want. For those with a green thumb, a greenhouse will be made available.

There will also be entertainment lounges, a storage area and transportation provided to residents, said Borud.

'We like to think of ourselves as pioneers,' he said.

Borud said the Takhini neighbourhood is a good place for such a development. It's safe and central to many amenities such as Yukon College and the Yukon Arts Centre, the Jeux du Canada Games Centre under construction and the city's downtown core, he noted.

As for rental prices of the 650 to 750 square feet one bedroom units, Borud told reporters the prices haven't yet been set. They will likely be between $1,000 and $1,700 per month, including the amenities such as house cleaning and meals.

The project is expected to start in June with a completion date of January 2006.

Borud pointed out the project will use 100-per-cent local labour and as much as possible in local supplies.

Cardinal Construction is listed as the general contractor on the project.

Under the affordable housing agreement, the project will receive $625,000 for all 25 units.

In the Falcon Ridge Chalet development, the agreement will see $830,000 in funding go to 44 home-ownership units and 20 rental units.

The entire development will include 87 single-detached, two-bedroom units and 48 multi-residential condos.

'I'm thrilled with the end result,' Duncan Lillico of Falcon Ridge Development said during the press conference.

The development is being built with active seniors in mind. He noted the site will likely be of interest to people who no longer have kids living at home and want a smaller site.

Recreation areas will be provided to residents. They may include a club house that could serve a number of options such as a theatre.

There are also plans for on-site emergency call system and first aid, a picnic area, greenhouse, horseshoe pits, storage units and a personal fenced yard space.

Lillico also pointed out trails will be provided with green space nearby.

'It's an entire community to be enjoyed,' he said.

The starting prices for the units is set at $148,500, which comes to $159,900, Lillico said.

While groundbreaking at the site is expected to begin around May 15, an interest list of possible residents has already started through the Coldwell Banker realty firm.

Duncan noted 95 per cent-plus of the labour involved will be local, with materials bought wholly from a Yukon supplier.

The project is expected to inject approximately $20 million into the territory.

Jim Kenyon, the minister responsible for the Yukon Housing Corp., said the projects will stimulate economic development in the territory.

Yukon Housing was responsible for selecting and giving conditional approval of the projects following a call for proposals. Both developments are designed to meet the accommodating and green home standards established by Yukon Housing, reporters were told.

The board of Yukon Housing chose the proposals which responded to the growing demand for affordable, senior housing which maintained criteria for energy-efficiancy, said Rudy Couture, Yukon Housing's chair.

Shelter can be the foundation of healthy communities, said Don Renaud, regional manager of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. for the B.C.-Yukon region.

He noted there's a number of initiatives the federal government is working on to meet the housing needs of the growing seniors population across the country.