VANCOUVER — The City of Vancouver is looking to expand its use of modular housing to alleviate housing demand for vulnerable residents.
Officials are proposing temporary modular housing at two locations: 1115, 1131 and 1141 Franklin St. as well as 501 Powell St.
The proposed projects are part of a plan to create 600 new homes for homeless residents living outside this winter. The province has promised to invest $66 million for the projects.
For the Franklin Street sites, the next step will happen this month when the city council will consider referring a report to a public hearing that would change the land use designation in the Regional Context Statement Official Development Plan from industrial to general urban, on a temporary basis. According to the city, this would allow a new temporary modular housing project to efficiently move into the development permit application process.
The site at 501 Powell St. will be subject to a development permit application process that will begin in the coming weeks. City staff are in talks with community farm and market organizers to better co-ordinate the project.
Council will also consider referring a report to a public hearing that proposes adding temporary modular housing as a permitted land use in a number of Official Development Plans.
As part of the city’s Housing Vancouver strategy that will be finalized at council at the end of November, a proposed target of 12,000 new units of permanent social and supportive housing will open over the next 10 years.
The new projects come on the heels of 220 Terminal, the city’s first modular interim housing project. The city donated undeveloped, city-owned land to VAHA for the 220 Terminal pilot project. According to the Vancouver Affordable Housing Agency, placing modular housing on vacant and underutilized sites pending redevelopment can be a cost-effective way to quickly increase the supply of affordable housing until more permanent housing can be built.
Recent Comments
comments for this post are closed