District of West Vancouver council has approved a development permit for a below market rental housing development in West Vancouver.
Council approved the permit for development at 2195 Gordon Avenue, also known as 990 22nd Street, to allow for the construction of a 156-unit below-market rental apartment building development and ground-level adult day centre development on parcel A.
Council has also approved a permit for the construction of a 58-unit market condo apartment building on proposed Parcel B. At a council meeting in May, District of West Vancouver staff recommended that the council sign a lease with Kiwanis North Shore Housing Society to operate the below-market rental housing and Darwin Properties for the development of the condominium apartment building.
Council also considered a Housing Agreement that sets out the terms for Kiwanis to operate the below-market rental housing. Kiwanis will build 156 units of below market rental housing in two, six-storey buildings in Area A along with an Adult Day Centre that will be operated by Vancouver Coastal Health.
The target market for the below market rental housing is moderate income people, including workers, families and seniors in West Vancouver. Darwin Properties Ltd. will develop the rest of the area with 58 market condos, with the majority being 2 or 3 bedrooms and pay the district $22.195 million in pre-paid lease.
Patrick McLaughlin, the president of the Kiwanis North Shore Housing Society, said West Vancouver is challenged when it comes to diversity of housing supply and projects such as Gordon Avenue are a solution to this challenge. “There isn’t a sufficient diversity of housing supply and many in the 20-40 age bracket can’t just can afford to live in the community. This project will address the affordable housing needs of those who are unable to live here,” he said.
McLaughlin said the project would also help keep those seniors in the community who want to downsize but don’t have that option available to them. “So far, they have no choice but to leave the community,” he said.
This is good news for our community