birchousing Hemlock Hill Village

Hemlock Hill Village Groundbreaking

Bowen Island Resilient Community Housing Society (BIRCH) Announces Ground Breaking of Hemlock Hill Village – A New Affordable Housing Development on Bowen Island

Bowen Island Resilient Community Housing Society (BIRCH) and Lookout Housing and Health Society (Lookout) are proud to announce the official ground breaking of Hemlock Hill Village, a new affordable housing development at 1033 Miller Road, taking place at 2pm on May 29, 2026. The project name is inspired by the neighbourhood as it once appeared on early local maps.

This 25-unit mixed market affordable housing project represents a significant step forward in addressing Bowen Island’s need for accessible rental housing. With strong support from the Municipality of Bowen Island, BC Housing, and community members, Hemlock Hill Village will provide much needed homes while strengthening community connection.

Twenty-five thoughtfully designed homes will include studios, one bedroom, two bedroom, and three bedroom units to meet diverse housing needs. Community focused features include an open courtyard, amenity spaces, and exterior corridors designed to encourage connection among residents and neighbours. Lookout will operate the building, bringing over 50 years of experience managing safe and affordable housing with supportive services.

“This is an important milestone in addressing the need for affordable housing on Bowen Island,” said David McCullum, Board Chair of BIRCH. “We are proud to reach this stage and grateful for the support of our partners who have made this project possible.”

“We are proud to see Hemlock Hill Village move into construction. This development reflects what is possible when community, government, and non-profit partners come together with a shared commitment to creating safe and inclusive housing.”

Shayne Williams, CEO of Lookout.

BIRCH and Lookout extend special thanks to the Municipality of Bowen Island and BC Housing for their leadership and support in advancing this project.

BIRCH and Lookout continue to work closely with BC Housing, CitySpaces Consulting, Converge Construction, and Boni Maddison Architects as construction begins.

birchousing Hemlock Hill Village, News & Updates

BIRCH 2025 Year in Review: Milestones, Momentum, and What’s Ahead

As we look back on 2025, we are proud to share what has truly been a banner year for Bowen Island Resilient Community Housing (BIRCH). Together with Bowen Island Municipality (BIM), community partners, and our dedicated volunteers and staff, we have made extraordinary progress toward creating and preserving homes for the people who make our island thrive.

A Historic Milestone: The BIRCH/BIM Partnering Agreement

This year marked a transformative step for community housing on Bowen. BIRCH and BIM entered into a formal partnering agreement that officially designates BIRCH as the municipality’s community housing partner. Under this agreement, BIRCH will build and acquire community housing and will also serve in an advisory capacity to the planning department, helping ensure alignment with BIM’s community housing policies and the diverse housing needs of our island community. This partnership is the culmination of years of shared vision and collaborative work—an achievement we celebrate with deep gratitude.

Operational Funding & New Staff Capacity

Concurrent with the Partnering Agreement, BIM allocated three years of operating funds from its federal Housing Accelerator Fund. This foundational investment has allowed BIRCH to establish its first staffed team, including:

• Executive Director
• Housing Development Manager
• Administrative Manager

With dedicated staff now in place, BIRCH is better equipped than ever to deliver on its mandate and accelerate progress on community housing solutions.

Hemlock Hill Village (1033 Miller Road) – Project Update

In partnership with the Lookout Health and Housing Society, significant milestones were reached in 2025 as this much-anticipated project moves toward construction:

• All permits have been submitted and are expected to be issued in January
• Funding is in the final approval stages
• Construction is anticipated to begin in Spring 2026

Hemlock Hill Village will deliver much-needed secure rental housing for Bowen Island, and we are energized by its momentum.

Lot 1 – Moving Into the Next Phase

At its December meeting, BIM Council approved $150,000 in pre-development project funds for BIRCH to continue advancing work on Lot 1. We have engaged New Commons Developments to help guide us through this exciting project. These funds will support:

• Site due diligence (environmental, biological, topographical, and geotechnical assessments)
• Market survey and housing needs analysis
• Site and infrastructure planning
• Financial modeling and project phasing

Lot 1 represents a unique opportunity to shape the future of community housing on Bowen, and these next steps are critical to that vision.

With Gratitude – Our Board of Directors

We extend a heartfelt and enormous thank you to our volunteer Board of Directors for their unwavering commitment and countless volunteer hours. Their perseverance and dedication over many years have paved the way for the remarkable progress we celebrate today. We are also pleased to welcome our newest board members Philippa Gumley and Alex Jurgensen, as well as welcoming back past board member Tim Wake, all of whom bring additional depth and expertise to our dedicated team.

Looking Ahead: The 2026 Housing Survey

In early 2026, BIRCH will launch the next island-wide Housing Survey, following up on our 2019 and 2022 surveys. We encourage all residents, employers, and off-island workers who commute here to participate. Your input will guide community housing strategies for Bowen Island. Please keep an eye out for the survey—and help us spread the word.

Thank You for Your Continued Support

The progress of 2025 has been extraordinary, and it would not have been possible without the support, insights, and engagement of the Bowen Island community.

We look forward to continuing this work together in 2026.

Warmly,
The BIRCH Board and Team

david Hemlock Hill Village, News & Updates

BIRCH’s Spring Update

Your local housing advocates are still hard at work and have plenty of news to share.

Miller Road building: the Lookout Society and BIRCH are still aiming to have shovels in the ground by the end of 2025.

Miller Road building: we are working to update the building plans to accommodate new building code and accessibility requirements.

Miller Road building: we are also working on the first of two internal approval milestones for our grant funding, which should happen in April/May. 

Miller Road building: we have hired a general contractor to work alongside the design team as we ramp up for construction.

Miller Road building: there is a full team site meeting happening in March so that all the consultants, agencies, and societies can meet in person, go over the site together and “break bread.”

BIRCH: BIM council has instructed staff to draft a partnering agreement with BIRCH to form a Community Owned Housing Organization, and we are getting close to finishing the agreement and getting on with the exciting work.

Lot 1: our report on the development of this lot to BIM’s Mayor and Council is nearly wrapped up.

david Hemlock Hill Village, News & Updates

Have your say in naming our first building!

It’s time! We would love it if you would help the Lookout Society and BIRCH to choose a name for our building on Miller Road. In our meetings and when engaging with the community, the need for an official name has become apparent so we’re asking for your input.

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Help us name our first building!
Min votes count should be 1

This is still a concept illustration, but gives you an idea of the latest design that the team has produced as we get closer to putting shovels in the dirt.

rendered image of the Miller Road Community Housing Project
david Hemlock Hill Village, News & Updates

Summer Updates!

It’s been too long, so here’s what’s new:

Hello Bowen Island!

With summer coming to an end, we thought a good time to provide an update on what BIRCH has been working on over the last few months and are looking forward to seeing everyone at Bowfest this weekend and at the Farmers’ Market at BICS on August 31st.

The Community Housing Project at 1033 Miller Road (just behind the new health centre) is moving along well.

BIRCH has partnered with Lookout Housing and Health Society to build 24 units of community rental housing located close to Snug Cove. The project has received approval from the BC Housing Community Fund and our architects and engineers are working hard and our plan is to start construction in 2025.

Separately, BIRCH has been working with Tomo Spaces to develop a vision for the future of Lot 1, the undeveloped Bowen Island Municipality-owned property located between Mt. Gardner Road and Grafton Road.

BIM bought this land from Metro Vancouver Parks in 2005 and since then there have been a number of different planning processes that have helped to move the process along. This included the 2018 community workshop that identified housing as a top priority, alongside making room for live/work and light industrial uses. BIRCH and Tomo are now working towards confirming that vision and defining the next steps required to make it happen.

Want to know more? Please feel free to send us an email at info@birchousing.org or come visit us at Bowfest this weekend or the Farmer’s Market the following weekend!

As always, we thank you for your time and support.