Three more Vancouver moderate income housing projects face public hearings in new year

One building is proposed for 3680 East Hastings (left) and a second is proposed for 3600 East Hastings (right). Rendering BHA Architects

Vancouver council referred another three rezoning applications under the city's Moderate Income Rental Housing Pilot Program (MIRHPP) to public hearings in the new year. The referrals were made at council's Dec. 10 meeting.

The public hearings get underway Jan. 21, 2020.

Council already approved the first three of 20 projects allowed under the pilot program in December — two on Renfrew Street in East Vancouver and, despite significant pushback from neighbouring residents, one on Larch Street on the city’s West Side.

To qualify under the MIRHPP, proposals must devote 20 per cent of the residential floor area to units for moderate income households earning between $30,000 and $80,000.

Average starting rates for moderate income rental units for East Side buildings are $950 for studios for average household incomes of $38,000; $1,200 for one bedrooms for households incomes of $48,000; $1,600 for two-bedrooms for household incomes of $64,000; and $2,000 for three-bedrooms for household incomes of $80,000.

The proposal is for a five-storey rental building for a site at 1990 to 1956 Stainsbury Ave. near Victoria Drive. Rendering Carscadden Stokes McDonald Architects

January’s public hearings will deal with PCI Developments’ rezoning applications for a pair of 14-storey buildings on East Hastings Street — one at the corner of Boundary Road and the other at the corner of Kootenay Street.

The projects faced general neighbourhood opposition at a joint open house last June, but they also earned some support. Together, the two East Hastings buildings would create a total of 212 rental apartments, 43 of which would be for moderate income households — the one at 3680 East Hastings at Boundary Road would produce 118 rental units, 24 for moderate income households, while the one at 3600 East Hastings at Kootenay would produce 94 rental units, 19 for moderate income households.

Carscadden Stokes McDonald Architects submitted the third rezoning application going to public hearing Jan. 21. It’s for a site at 1956 to 1990 Stainsbury Ave. near Trout Lake.

The proposal is for a five-storey building. Approximately 13 of the 80 rental units proposed would be for moderate income households About 59 people attended a May open house for the Stainsbury proposal. The city received 67 responses about the project through comment sheets, letters, emails and online comment forms.