Sunday, November 26th, 2023
3 PM, via Zoom
You are invited to attend the 30th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Hornby Island Housing Society.
Guest Speakers:
Daniel Arbour, reporting on the housing initiatives being explored at the CVRD,
&
Angeleah Hoeppner, presenting the Hornby Island Community Profile
If you wish to attend, please email
hornbyislandhousing@gmail.com
for the ZOOM link and detailed agenda.
Hornby Island Housing Society (HIHS) has received $4000.00 from the Comox Valley Community Foundation to create a much needed housing strategy. The grant came from the Comox Valley Ending Homelessness funding stream. It will be used to hire a facilitator to lead a process that will result in the creation of an inclusive and comprehensive housing strategy for our island.
Without this funding, we would not be able to accomplish this goal as we do not have the capacity to coordinate such a process without a skilled facilitator. It was exciting to be informed that our application was successful as we have been working towards this goal for a long time. We feel that we as a community are ready to work together to identify our needs and priorities. We are all feeling hopeful that what we create will guide our community for years to come and help us secure additional funding as needed.
Hornby Island Housing Society is seeking new Board Members who will shape the future of affordable housing on our Island.
There’s no time like the present to join those of us working on the housing cause. Our Beulah Creek Village proposal is before the Island Trustees and Trust planners for review. Following the September Trust meeting, we’ll be encouraging the community to bring their comments and support to a community information meeting.
The Elder Village, with its 11 fully occupied rental units, is considering opportunities for expansion. Other Island housing projects, for summer worker housing and possibly a manufactured home park, are being developed and need input and feedback. Policy around eligibility criteria for Hornby residents wishing to move to Beulah Creek will need
to be developed.
What do we do as active Board members?
• We work on behalf of the community with development consultants, other professionals, the provincial housing authority, and Islands Trust to bring Beulah Creek family housing to fruition.
• We oversee and coordinate the work of our able contractors to manage the homes and infrastructure at the Elder Housing Village.
• We provide responsible financial management of the Society’s assets.
• We advocate for more solutions to the Island housing crisis.
• We communicate via website and updates to keep the community informed.
• We fundraise via community appeals and grants to resource housing work.
• We develop and maintain policies to guide the Society.
• We coordinate with other Island organizations to work on responses to housing needs.
Please consider becoming part of our housing team. You’ll find more information about HIHS at hornbyhousing.org. Our AGM is scheduled for Sunday October 16. If you would like to join us on the HIHS board please contact Board chair, JoAnn Harrison, at joharrison@telus.net.
Thank you!
We’re excited to have good news to report! The Beulah Creek Village project has moved forward: an application for Development Permits has been submitted to the Islands Trust.
Beulah Creek Village is planning for 26 rental units. The homes are a combination of studios, apartments, and townhouses. They’re to be built on the 7.4-hectare site at 5040 Central Road.
Currently, the project team is working to secure funding through BC Housing’s Community Housing Fund and pursuing additional funding options, including Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s (CMHC) Co-Investment Fund. The Comox Valley Regional District has further expressed their commitment to the project through a generous equity donation.
Hornby Island Housing Society (HIHS) has entered into a partnership with M’akola Housing Society (MHS), through the execution of a long-term lease agreement for the operation and management of affordable housing units, under an Operating Agreement with BC Housing and subject to a Section 219 covenant. MHS has over 30 years of experience operating affordable housing. Over this time, MHS has collaborated with numerous government and community partners to deliver high-quality affordable housing and they are extremely excited to have partnered with HIHS, with the aim of providing affordable rental options to the community of Hornby Island. MHS will manage the homes through an experienced property manager.
Beulah Creek Village is designed as a cluster of three buildings organized around a central green corridor. Of the 26 units, there will be 3 studio units, 12 one-bedroom units, 8 two-bedrooms, and 3 three-bedroom units. One of the 1-bedroom units is designed to be fully accessible.
The first two buildings are two-storey in height and provide twenty-three of the homes along with storage spaces. The third building is located at the center of the Village and includes a common space for tenants, and laundry facilities. The 3-bedroom family units will be constructed as part of this building.
A lot of work has been completed to bring Beulah Creek Village to this stage, supported by BC Housing Pre-Development Funding (PDF). Due diligence on the site has included geotechnical, environmental, and survey work. Studio 531 Architects have completed conceptual, schematic, and design development level drawings of the proposed site. BC Housing has reviewed and approved the concept designs. Rezoning has been finalized with Islands Trust. Land appraisal has been carried out. The arborist report identifies danger trees. Hydrogeological reporting has assessed the onsite well and provided groundwater documentation. There is continued consultation with K’ómoks First Nation.
The Creek itself is a considerable factor in the layout of the Village. With the site’s proximity to Beulah Creek, and many smaller watercourses that cut through this property, a significant amount of land is to be reserved for riparian areas. These riparian area setbacks are provincial requirements under the Riparian Area Protection Regulation; they will dictate site clearing limits and, in large part, lot configuration.
Proposed Site Infrastructure: An upgrade to the existing access road into the Beulah Creek site has been designed in collaboration with the Hornby Island Fire Department to ensure adequate emergency vehicle access. The fire suppression system will include a hydrant, fire pump and fire supply storage tanks.
Beulah Creek Village will utilize an existing well. There is a small water treatment building and storage tank for potable water. Pump tests were successful, and a Water Supply System Construction Permit has been issued. There is a stand-by generator to be used for lighting and emergency heat loads during power outages. Wastewater will be handled by a type 2 sanitary treatment system.
Sustainability and Energy Targets: BC Housing’s Design Guidelines and Construction Standards require all BC Housing-funded projects to meet the upper steps of the BC Energy Step Code. This regulation, enacted in 2017, aims to make all buildings net-zero energy-ready by 2032.
With the support of CMHC funding, the project would be subject to additional energy targets including reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
Affordability: Beulah Creek’s rental rate structure is proposed to align directly with BC Housing’s Community Housing Fund rental rate structure. Affordability is based on 30% of the units being rented out at a near market value, 50% of the units at rent geared to income (RGI), (RGI refers to a type of subsidized housing where the housing provider matches your rent to how much income you earn), and 20% of the units will be rented at deep subsidy rates, as defined by BC Housing.
So when is the move-in date? The project schedule will become clearer as key milestones are met, and funding timelines are fixed. The awarding of development and siting permits will be an excellent next step!