60-unit housing project approved
Summerland taxpayers will eat more than $500,000 worth of fees and permits to encourage development of a new 60-unit affordable housing project directly across from municipal hall.
“Sixty units is quite a bit. That will make a real difference in our community, especially for families who have been trying to get a place and live here. So, while it is a good chunk of money, I think that the benefits of providing people in our community with a place to live is huge,” said deputy Mayor Erin Trainer at Tuesday’s council meeting.
“Sixty units is a huge number that we’ve been waiting for a long time.”
Council unanimously approved the required rezoning and development permit for the project on two lots at 13204 and 13214 Henry Ave. (Mayor Doug Holmes was absent and Coun. Janet Peake recused herself due to a conflict.)
The project is being developed by the non-profit Turning Points Collaborative with funding expected from BC Housing.
The land is owned by the Summerland United Church and the Summerland Food Bank, which would operate on the ground floor of the new building.
Council heard 30% of the units would be market rentals, 40% would have rents tied to their tenants’ income, and the other 30% would be for pensioners and others on fixed incomes.
To make it all work, Turning Points asked for exemptions on permits, fees and development cost charges worth an estimated $658,000, alongside exemption of a $47,000 payment for added density.
Council eventually settled on a maximum waiver of $500,000 for permits, fees and DCCs, plus the full $47,000 for added density.
The financial relief is contingent upon a covenant being placed on the property that will ensure it’s use as affordable housing.
A restrictive covenant was among the measures suggested Tuesday by Steve Lornie on behalf of the Summerland Chamber of Commerce, which is concerned about the site becoming a haven for social disorder.
“Our definition of affordable housing is a home for lower-income (people) who have jobs or pensions and can be relied upon to pay a reasonable monthly rent, but primarily not to bring the level of dysfunction to our community such as we see around some of the projects in Penticton and other Okanagan cities,” said Lornie.
Council also heard from John Bubb, director of the Summerland Food Bank, who urged the politicians to think with their hearts.
“We are not exempt in Summerland from homeless people and people with challenges in their lives,” said Bubb.
“We can deal with that in two ways: We can vilify them and drive them away or we can deal with them with compassion as best we can. I don’t share the fear that Summerland will turn into a problem community because we’re caring for people who are at the lower end of the income scale.”
The project is now awaiting final approval from BC Housing, which is expected this summer, and construction could start this fall if all goes well.
It’s similar in scope to one proposed by Turning Points Collaborative in 2021 for the old RCMP detachment site on Jubilee Road. However, the land deal underlying that project fell apart after council granted the required rezoning.