Vancouver city council has approved the rezoning of two sites located at 2518-2540 Grandview Highway South and 1925 Southeast Marine Drive, for the purpose of building two six-storey residential buildings that will include a combined 136 social housing units with supports. The government says the creation of this new permanent social housing will provide people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, including seniors and people living with disabilities, with safe, secure, and affordable homes. Grandview will provide 64 homes and Southeast Marine will provide 72 homes.
“Securing quality housing for Vancouver’s most vulnerable residents is a significant priority for our Council,” said Mayor Ken Sim, City of Vancouver. “We are incredibly excited to support these two permanent supportive housing projects.”
The rezonings are part of five City-owned sites designated for the delivery of 350 permanent supportive homes under a Memorandum of Understanding signed in August 2020 by the City of Vancouver, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), and BC Housing.
BC Housing issued Requests for Proposals for both buildings to secure experienced non-profit operators. Community Builders Group was selected to operate the Grandview location and The Kettle Society was selected for the SE Marine location. The City will continue to work with partners to identify more opportunities for social and supportive housing.
“There’s an urgent need to bring those experiencing homelessness in Vancouver indoors and provide them with the supports they need to rebuild their lives,” said Vincent Tong, Chief Executive Officer, BC Housing. “Rezoning approval of these two projects is the next step toward providing safe, indoor housing for nearly 140 people, and we’re excited to be working with the Province, the City of Vancouver and our non-profit partners to make this goal a reality.”
The next steps will be rezoning enactment and the submission of a development permit application. Construction is expected to start after all permits are secured.
For more info, see the Victoria-Fraserview area plan and the Renfrew-Collingwood community vision at the links provided.
