285 Prideaux St. represents the second supportive housing complex to be built in Nanaimo from a 2020 agreement between the City and BC Housing. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Ian Holmes

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NANAIMO — Slow, yet steady progress is being made to build hundreds of badly needed supportive and affordable housing units in Nanaimo.

In the summer of 2020 a Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Nanaimo and BC Housing pledged 315 units at six sites in Nanaimo, with the province at the time hoping the projects would come to fruition in one to three years.

Three-and-a-half years later, only Samaritan Place has opened, a 51-unit permanent supportive housing complex at 702 Nicol St.

Lisa Brinkman, the City of Nanaimo’s manager of community planning, said while they’d like these important projects to advance faster, she said the past year has seen notable progress on all of the initiatives.

“All of the sites that were announced at that time, the City and BC Housing staff are working hard to achieve the goals in that original MOU,” Brinkman told NanaimoNewsNOW.

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She said the province has prioritized the need to support the planning required for these projects.

“The Ministry of Housing has been providing more resources to BC Housing staffing-wise so that they can move these sorts of projects more quickly, that’s really helpful from the City’s perspective.”

285 Prideaux St
Brinkman said ‘Cornerstone’ at 285 Prideaux St., to be operated by Connective, formally known as the Nanaimo Region John Howard Society, is nearly complete.

Brinkman expects an occupancy permit for the 51-unit permanent modular supportive housing project will be awarded in the coming weeks.

“Our building department staff are working very hard back-and-forth to ensure that all of the requirements are met and BC Building Code requirements are met.”

BC Housing told NanaimoNewsNOW the agency anticipates residents moving into 285 Prideaux St. one month after the City issues the occupancy permit.

Residents about to move into 285 Prideaux St. will come from Newcastle Place, a temporary housing complex at 250 Terminal Ave.

250 Terminal Ave
Used for temporary housing since late 2018, 250 Terminal Ave. is proposed to transition to a permanent supportive/affordable housing development.

Originally slated to be a 50 units of supportive permanent housing, an expanded development permit application for the BC Housing-owned site submitted to City Hall last June calls for a split-use 94 unit site involving supportive and affordable housing.

Brinkman said BC Housing intends to host a public meeting in February regarding the proposal, which requires re-zoning.

“It could be presented to council as soon as March 2024 potentially, so it is getting there,” Brinkman said, who added the best case scenario would see a building permit issued in 18 months to two years.

On Monday the province announced a three-year agreement with the City to fund 250 Terminal Ave., known as Newcastle Place, in addition to funding another temporary housing site in Chase River.

Brinkman said the new temporary housing investment by the province would not delay construction at 250 Terminal Ave.

“Then those new residents who’ve moved in with the HEARTH (Homeless Encampment Action Response Temporary Housing) funds would need to be relocated to a different site if that’s the case and that’s something BC Housing would take care of.”

Brinkman said the City-issued lease for the other existing temporary housing offering at 2060 Labieux Rd. expires at the end of 2025.

Te’tuxwtun
A vastly expanded project in the city’s Harewood neighbourhood known as Te’tuxwtun calls for nearly 400 units, which includes market rental units, educational, childcare and other amenities on nearly six acres off Fifth St.

“We are expecting a development permit application in June of 2024 for the Te’tuxwtun and I know that BC Housing’s goal is to submit a building permit application by March, 2025,” Brinkman said of the project, which also includes Snuneymuxw First Nation (SFN) as a key partner.

Brinkman said City staff are unsure on the phasing priorities for the large-scale development which would be constructed over several years.

355 Nicol St
To be operated by SFN, plans for 51 permanent supportive housing units on Nicol St. near Farquar St. are advancing.

Brinkman said the property was successfully re-zoned in November, followed by a development permit application submitted the following month.

“The hope is that construction could begin on that site early in 2025 potentially, so everything’s moving along on track with that one,” Brinkman said.

1425 Cranberry Ave
Forty-six affordable housing units are expected at the south Nanaimo site.

Brinkman said pre-application meetings have taken place in recent weeks and she expects a public hearing will take place this spring.

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