Bowen Island Resilient Community Housing (BIRCH) unveiled the first phase of designs for its affordable rental housing project in a virtual community update last week.
While the number of units has fluctuated as the project progresses, the current design allows for 27 units, approximately five studios, nine one-bedroom, 11 two-bedrooms and two three-bedroom units, said Anthony Boni of Boni Maddison Architects. He introduced Bowen Islanders to the 26,000 sq. ft. design on Lot 3 of the Community Lands.
In January, BIRCH is hoping to apply for BC Housing’s Community Housing Fund, which has a prescriptive income mix of 20 per cent deep subsidy units; 50 per cent rent geared to income units; and 30 per cent moderate income units. Estimated rental costs under that program range from $375 a month for deep subsidy studio rental to $2370 for a three-bedroom, moderate-income unit.
Layout of Lot 3 of the Community Lands, including the health centre, fire hall and BIRCH development. (Screenshot: YouTube - BIRCH, Boni Maddison Architects, City Spaces)While there are to be two or three determined units designated fully wheelchair accessible, all units will be accessible, built to universal design standards, said BIRCH’s executive director Robyn Fenton. If a community member has ideas and suggestions as to how to make the design more accessible for all sorts of people with all sorts of needs, Fenton said she’d be very open to hearing that. (One can contact BIRCH through the non-profit’s website).
The 27-unit design includes 10 parking spaces, which contravenes bylaw but BIRCH plans to apply for a variance to allow for fewer spaces. (D.K. Harris Properties’ housing project across from the museum received a similar variance recently).
BIRCH is also hoping to align with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Green Municipal Fund for sustainable affordable housing, which requires the building be net zero energy or net zero ready.
Bowen Island Municipality’s 2020 housing needs assessment showed that showed that 45 per cent of renting households on Bowen face affordability challenges and that there was support for increasing the purpose-built rental accommodations in the Cove, noted presenters.
When it comes to property management for such a project, there isn’t the expertise on-island, said Fenton, so they’ll be looking to off-island support for at least the short-to-mid term. (She also noted it’s early days for such considerations.) How that would work in terms of on-island personnel is yet to be worked out but they plan on using Bowen businesses, trades and companies as they can, said Fenton.
If everything goes well, construction may begin toward the end of next year, said Fenton, with completion a minimum of two years away.
“We’re just working as fast as we possibly can within the constraints that we have and working to make it the best building that we possibly can and really meet the needs,” she said.
Tenant selection will prioritize Bowen Island community members, though that doesn’t exclude off-island residents. “There’s a lot of people who are part of the Bowen community that aren’t necessarily current residents,” said Fenton.
Income will too be a significant consideration. Fenton also stressed that while they’ll have people register interest closer to completion, it won’t be first-come first-serve occupancy.
“Whatever this process is that we’re going to use to determine who’s going to get into the various units…we’ll be really clear and transparent about how that selection process is going to happen,” said Fenton.
Well-behaved pets will be allowed and BIRCH is planning on electric car plug-ins.
When asked about her favourite part of the project, Fenton responded:
“I have a vision in my head of the day…the first tenant who gets to come in and sign their lease and I get to hand them over their keys and take them to their unit and show them in,” said Fenton. “That’s the vision that I’m working toward.”
Watch the entire event here.
Disclosure: the author of this piece is a tenant of the chair of the BIRCH board.
