Affordable housing proposed for Parksville

The Parksville Lions Housing Society is proposing a 36-unit rental apartment building in Parksville to help workers in the area find housing they can afford. Rendering: City of Parksville agenda.

On February 21, Parksville city council voted to move ahead with an application to allow the development of a non-market rental building at 1225 Franklin Gulls Road by the Parksville Lions Society.

The land for the development is a city-owned lot and the plans are for a four-storey 36 unit rental apartment building with 18 one-bedroom, 15, two-bedroom and three three-bedroom apartments.

According to Councillor Mary Beil, the city will continue to own the land but lease it to the Lions Housing Society on a long-term basis.

Tom Roy, president of the Parksville Lions Housing Society, said that the building will be targeted at working-class tennants. The society has applied for funding from BC Housing that would help subsidize some of the units.

Laurie Nickerson, executive director for the Lions Housing Society said that the location may not be perfect, but it will help meet the needs of the local workforce.

“While the site isn't optimal, it is still a place that people can call home,” she said. “There's bus service, the school buses go there and they're close to industry. They're close to the resorts for work.”

Mayor Doug O’Brien said that the city needs more affordable housing if it is to attract and retain the workers the city needs.

“We know we need this because our workers are living in Nanaimo because they can't afford to live in Parksville,” he said.

Councillor Amit Gaur told council that he works with people who need non-market housing.

“I have LPNs and nurses that I work with who have no option but to get into market housing,” he said. “They're struggling to make decisions between housing, other recreation or food and other things. They have to make decisions about what to do.”

Councillor Beil said that a lack of affordable housing in Parksville is also contributing to seniors’ poverty in the city as people can’t afford to save for retirement.

“When these folks reach retirement age and we will have another set of people, housing is probably the greatest contributor to increasing poverty, not only in our community but elsewhere,” she said. “And it really needs to be addressed.

There was also some discussion at the meeting about how many trees on the property would be preserved with the development.

Mayor Doug O’Brien said he was encouraged by the renderings presented to council that show trees in front of the building.

“This is a Parksville piece of property that the city is actually donating to this very worthwhile venture of yours,” he told the delegation from the Lions Housing Society. “But at the same time, it's also the entrance to our city, the entrance to our city and it provides a very green vibe to it when we have those trees standing.”

The next step in the process is for the society to organize a public engagement, such as an open house, where the public can provide comments on the project. The society also has to consult with the Regional District of Nanaimo and School District 69.

Funding Note: This story was produced with funding support from the Local Journalism Initiative, administered by the Community Radio Fund of Canada.