Plans almost ready for Sydney Apartments in Inuvik, N.W.T.

The layouts for a new public housing development in Inuvik are almost finalized, and soon the N.W.T. Housing Corporation will be looking for contractors to build the new Sydney Apartments.

The new building, unlike the current one, will include solar panels on the roof and window shades.

“If this were a condo in Vancouver, you'd be paying half a million dollars for it,” says Alana Mero, the housing corporation’s district director.

Inside will be open-concept, one-bedroom apartments for singles and couples.

“The current Sydney Apartments are just bachelor units,” says Kate Smith, a technical manager with the N.W.T. Housing Corporation. “This new building will provide options for couples and people so it will change it up a bit.”

For some people, the new building can’t come soon enough.

Robin Greenland says his bachelor unit in the Sydney Apartments could use some upgrades.

“The noise,” he says. “The walls are thin. There’s lots of cracks. It’s falling apart, slowly.”

There's no word yet on how much the building will cost.

Construction tenders will go out in the next few weeks.