Housing Squamish has applied for grant funding to explore a possible new affordable housing development in the Northyards area.
The Squamish Community Housing Society, which is also known as Housing Squamish for short, is the independent non-profit society created in partnership with the District of Squamish to increase housing and access to it within town.
Sarah Ellis, the society' executive director, told The Squamish Chief that it recently applied for a BC Housing fund “to complete pre-development work that would allow Housing Squamish to explore the possibility of an affordable housing project on the District-owned site at 39900 Government Road.”
Ellis said the site, which is near the T-intersection of Government Road and Centennial Way, is “one of the few properties owned by the District that can accommodate housing, and is located in a central location near jobs, schools and recreational amenities.”
The area is also close to the road extension project by the District of Squamish that aims to connect Pioneer Way with Government Road, which is still under ongoing construction. Squamish council endorsed the grant, which was released publicly at the Nov. 7 regular business meeting during in camera announcements.
Ellis said Housing Squamish had a “strong application,” for the Community Housing Fund from BC Housing, but acknowledged the crown corporation receives a lot of applications each year. Ellis said they hope to hear back within two to three months, and will jointly announce additional details of the project with the District if they are ultimately granted the funds.
If they receive funding, the next steps include pre-development work, which Ellis outlined as a number of activities that determine the feasibility of a project and move the project forward. This can include “the costs of preliminary financial applications, legal fees, architectural and engineering fees and other exploratory work,” wrote Ellis.
“We are committed to working closely with the District of Squamish to bring affordable homes to our community and will work to ensure the needs and interest of community members are reflected in the project should we be successful in receiving this funding,” said Ellis.
Affordable and robust housing options are a topical discussion within the municipality and Squamish community.
In the District’s 2023 Housing Needs Report, it is estimated that an additional 6,840 housing units will be required by 2031, of which 2,873 (or 42%) will need to be affordable to those households earning $70,000 or less per year.
The municipality defines affordable housing as costing 30% or less to households that earn 80% or less of the median income in Squamish, which is a range of approximately $35,000 to $101,000. By that definition, monthly affordable housing costs range from about $875 to $2,525 per month.
For this particular housing project on Government Road, Ellis said further grant funding would be explored for construction.
