B.C. government, Metro Vancouver break ground on affordable-housing project
Scott Brown
The Vancouver Sun
The B.C. government broke ground Friday on the first phase of an affordable-housing project that will replace 86 aging housing units with 230 new rental homes to provide affordable housing for people with a mix of incomes in Vancouver’s Fairview neighbourhood.
Heather Place, which is being built at 725-799 West 14th Ave in partnership with the Metro Vancouver Housing Corporation, is the first project in the province’s commitment to build 1,700 affordable rental-housing units over the next four years.
Phase 1 will include 67 units of varying sizes, from studios to three-bedroom homes.
The province says 30 of the homes will have rent geared to income with a projected range of approximately $380 to $1,100 per month. The remaining will be “low-end market rentals,” with rents projected to start at approximately $1,500 per month.
“When people have safe and affordable housing, they can focus on building the life they want for themselves and their families,” said Selina Robinson, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. “This project will deliver the affordable homes people in Vancouver need, with easy access to community amenities, schools and transit.”
Metro Vancouver is contributing $21.3 million to Phase 1, while the province is kicking in $6.7 million in capital funding.
The NDP government’s 2018 budget pledged more than $7 billion over the next 10 years towards housing affordability.
Phase 1 of the Heather Place redevelopment is expected to be completed by winter 2019.
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