SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - A Yellowknife manufacturer is proposing to develop as many as 900 homes in a new residential area located within the Kam Lake Industrial Park.

Manuel Jorge, owner of Energy Wall and Building Products, left, and Ric Sabalboro, Jorge's design and project manager, stand beside a display of a panel insulation system designed by Energy Wall. The company is proposing to develop a new residential area in the Kam Lake Industrial Park that could host as many as 900 homes, all priced between $150,000 and $250,000 using technology know as FlexHousing. - Guy Quenneville/NNSL photo

Manuel Jorge, owner of Energy Wall and Building Products, recently pitched his ambitious idea to city council and is now in the process of gathering public feedback on his proposal.

Jorge's plan is to acquire approximately 450 acres set aside by the city for future development near Grace Lake, an area he said will lend itself to spacious but affordable lots priced between $150,000 and $250,000.

"What we want to be able to do is to have big enough land that is accessible to the company over a period of 15 to 20 years," said Jorge, whose company manufactures and assembles commercial and residential floor trusses, roof trusses, cabinets and energy-efficient wall systems.

For this venture, Jorge wants to use FlexHousing, a type of "house module that you can expand as you need without changing what you (already) have."

This method, he said, would allow new home buyers to start small and expand their homes when they can afford it.

"To me, affordable housing is what you can afford (at the time)," he said.

Two years ago, Jorge's company set his sights on the mineral exploration industry, but the economic slowdown that began in September, 2008, sending commodity prices tumbling, forced Energy Wall to increase its focus on residential projects.

The company hired Joe Handley & Associates to conduct an independent market analysis of Yellowknife, which found that 60 per cent of the home-buying market in city consists of homes selling at less than $350,000.

Jorge presented his idea to city councillors and staff of the city's planning and development department during two meetings in October and November, though, to his disappointment, the second meeting was not well attended.

Mayor Gord Van Tighem dubbed Jorge's proposal "very ambitious" but still in its infancy.

"At this point, he is basically pitching a concept," said Van Tighem. "No money has been discussed or offered. There's nothing in the current city zoning or city general plan to support what he's talking about, so there's a large amount of legislative forethought that would have go (into it)."

Van Tighem said city staff will respond in writing to a Nov. 3 letter Jorge sent the city outlining his proposal.

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