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An artist’s conception of the new five-storey Greenecourt rental building for seniors, proposed by the Lions for Ocean Ave. across the street from Hackett Park in Sechelt. SC Lions Housing Society illustration.
The SCRD’s planning and community development committee got a first look last week at plans for a new 104-unit affordable apartment building at the Greenecourt complex on Ocean Avenue in Sechelt.
The proposal by the Sunshine Coast Lions Housing Society (SCLHS) is for a five-storey building with studio and one bedroom rental units for seniors, as well as common facilities such as lobby, office, laundry, and a parking garage. The new building will replace 29 older single storey apartments and will be in addition to 140 rental apartments for seniors and people with disabilities already in place. The development also includes a new Lions Hall.
The project will require variances from the District of Sechelt to accommodate higher density and greater building height than currently zoned.
In a covering letter to the District of Sechelt, Al Hailey of the SCLHS noted that the society currently has about 140 households on a waiting list for housing. “While the Society has not undertaken a new market analysis, there is ample evidence of the need for affordable rental housing in Sechelt, particularly for seniors.”
The Society has received $100,000 in project development funding from BC Housing and $50,000 in seed money from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.
The Lions have been operating affordable housing in Sechelt since the late 1970’s, when they took over 39 units from the Coast Columbia Mission. They built an additional 24 units in the early 1980’s, 22 more in 1992, and a 65-unit annex in 2012.
The Society started planning in 2016 to replace their two oldest buildings with new units, including accessible and adaptable units to support aging in place.
Donna McMahon
