The fire-damaged building in the Rainbow Lodge complex in the downtown could be rebuilt, bigger and to modern standards.
The Langley Lions Housing Society and BC Housing have put together a request for proposals and applied for funding to build a new facility, said Lions Housing Society executive director Jeanette Dagenais.
Dagenais noted it’s been a “rough couple of years” for the housing complex, following the April, 2017 fire that killed one resident in the Birch building.
Since then, the Birch has sat empty, with the residents moved to other buildings. It was uncertain for a time if it would be repaired or replaced.
“Our intentions are to replace the building,” said Dagenais.
The new structure can’t contain more than 100 units, thanks to the rules of the funding being applied for.
But Dagenais said the proposed new structure will be larger than the 65 unit-Birch that was lost to the fire, meaning there will be a net increase in the amount of housing available in the area.
Word on whether the funding is secured will be coming later this fall, Dagenais said.
Langley City Mayor Ted Schaffer speculated last year that a replacement would benefit the community, as new building codes allow for taller structures, including six stories even with wood frame buildings.
Older buildings, including many of the apartments at the complex, don’t have modern sprinkler systems which are mandatory in new residential apartment blocks. A new replacement Birch will have modern sprinkler systems.
Along with the planned change to the building, changes are underway to the way tenants communicate with management.
Over the summer, management created a Tenant Liaison Committee with representatives elected from each of the buildings – the Alder, Evergreen Timbers, Elm, Fir, Dogwood, Cedar, and Centennial Manor.
The group will meet about every two months with management to talk about local issues around things such as parking, keys, and scooter usage, Dagenais said.
A separate, independent tenants group has been found by boxing coach, Rainbow Lodge resident, and council candidate Dave Allison.
Allison, who has lived there for years, said bringing back an old tenants advocacy group is a way to help deal with controversies that have been arising.
The key issue for longtime residents isn’t new, Allison said, but involves the mix of residents in the complex.
Older residents are worried about some of the younger residents who have arrived, some of whom Allison said have mental health issues.
“There’s an element of fear,” Allison said.
The Rainbow Lodge was founded primarily for seniors, but also has a mandate to care for people with disabilities. This can include people with mental health issues.
He said the new tenants group group isn’t fighting management at the complex, but was created so they talk about problems with management.
Allison is interim president of the group and has been organizing meetings, although one of the problems they’ve had has been large turnouts that has been too much for the local meeting rooms in the Evergreen building, Allison said.
The fire at the Birch was the second since 2013 in the complex. The Birch fire and the previous fire each took the life of one resident.
