A development that is providing 68 affordable studio, one- and two-bedroom homes has opened in the West End at 1395 Davie Street.
Managed by Vancouver Native Housing Society (VNHS), the new building was created at no cost to the City through the City’s inclusionary zoning policy. The building was delivered through density bonusing as part of Marcon’s development project at 1180 Broughton, achieving the goals of the West End Plan Public Benefits Strategy.
Density bonusing permits developers to build additional floor area, in exchange for amenities such as affordable housing and childcare facilities needed by the community.
VNHS’s mandate is to provide safe, secure and affordable housing to both the urban Indigenous community, as well as non-Indigenous people, seniors, youth, women at risk, persons living with mental illness and the homeless and homeless at risk populations. VNHS is also operating the adjacent 27-unit affordable housing project.
“Our board and staff would like to thank Marcon and the City of Vancouver for their contributions,” said Richard George, President, Vancouver Native Housing Society. “These partnerships are crucial to increasing the supply of affordable housing in our community. This new building is adding not only affordable housing for our urban Indigenous Peoples, but also addressing the lack of accessible housing in our area. We are proud to be a part of the solution.”
The City says that creating homes for Indigenous residents continues to be a priority for it – people who identify as Indigenous continue to be vastly overrepresented in the Homelessness Count results, making up 39 per cent of Vancouver’s homeless population but only 2 per cent of the city’s overall population, based on 2020 data.
“These 68 affordable homes are just the latest in thousands of below-market homes that Vancouver has open, underway, or approved thanks unprecedented cooperation with builders, non-profits and all levels of government,” said Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart. “When we use partnerships to build homes more people can afford in every area of our city, we help make Vancouver a city that works for all of us.”
The mix of rents across the 95 new homes in the two buildings includes a minimum of 33 homes at shelter rate, 31 homes at Housing Income Limits (HILs), with the remainder of homes renting at Low-End of Market rates (approximately 10 per cent below market rate).
Along with the new homes, the development includes amenity space, children’s play area, parking and storage.
More information about the building is available here.
