BIRCH is very please to announce that at the committee of the whole meeting, on September 24, 2018, council recommended approval of a 0.48 hectare site on Lot 3 of the community lands for BIRCH to develop a rental housing project. There are a few more formal steps to go through, but essentially… we have a site!
We will continue to work with the municipality on the final subdivision details, and the formal long-term lease agreement. We now start the process of applying for seed funding from various organizations and creating the feasibility/business plan for the project. We continue to aim for 20± units, in a variety of sizes, at a mix of market and below market rates (with as many below-market units as possible).
One of our most important next steps is to establish a Project Advisory Group (name to be refined!). The purpose of this group is to engage with a cross section of community members about the project: to review progress, provide feedback and direction for the project, and assist in policy/decision making (for example – who will qualify for the below-market units, how will ongoing income be assessed for the below-market units, and what do we name the project). We plan to meet every few months, possibly more if needed.
If you would like to be a part of creating our first community housing project by volunteering to participate in our advisory group, please send an email
subject: Project Advisory Group
Tell us a bit about yourself, and your background, and why you would like to be part of the team!
We will accept applications until October 12th, and hope to have our first meeting by the end of October/early November.
Thank you Bowen Island for your support!
