A five-storey apartment building with 51 affordable housing units will be built next to the 39-unit supportive housing project under construction on Prosser Road in Central Saanich.
The 51 units will consist of a range of studio to two-bedroom apartments, all operated by the Capital Region Housing Corporation, with underground parking.
Tenant applications will be available in early 2022, ahead of the targetted spring 2022 completion date.
Forty-one units will be rented to those with low to moderate incomes. The remaining 10 will rent at $375 a month – a provincial income assistance rate supported by the regional housing first program.
“There is an urgent need for more housing people can afford in our region, and the regional housing first program enables us to create the right mix of affordable housing opportunities,” said CRD board chair Colin Plant. “This mix will make sure people in greatest need have access to safe and secure housing.”
READ MORE: Central Saanich calls on province to clarify questions about supportive housing project
The housing program is a partnership between the CRD, BC Housing and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, and is expected to create 2,000 rental units across Central Saanich, Langford, Salt Spring Island, Sooke, Victoria and View Royal. Of that, 20 per cent will be rented at the province’s income assistance rate, 31 per cent at affordable rates and 49 per cent at a rate near market price.
The projects are also tied to Canada’s national housing strategy – the country’s first federal housing plan that began with a $13-billion commitment in Ottawa’s fall economic statement last November.
The 1900-block of Central Saanich’s Prosser Road has been the site of community controversy since development began on the 39 units of supportive housing.
The District of Central Saanich passed a letter to BC Housing requesting additional assurances on the project and more than 2,100 people have signed a petition calling for greater community consultation. Both groups are concerned with the province’s transparency on the project.
ALSO READ: Government announces $100-million loan towards Victoria affordable housing project
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