For Squamish's Imran Ashraf, 41, co-housing developments are a solution to several social challenges in town.
Ashraf, who works in construction, has lived in a Responsible Living co-housing unit at Cheakamus House, at 1477 Depot Rd., Brackendale, for one year since it opened.
It has 14 one-bedroom and den suites with individual washrooms, shared kitchen and living room spaces, as well as a garage gym and communal outdoor space.
Originally from the U.K., Ashraf has lived in Whistler and Squamish on and off since 2007.
Behind Responsible Living are builder Dave Ransier and Lior Ishai, a social entrepreneur.
So far, there are two such co-housing properties, the other being Britannia House in Dentville, which has 12 units and was built in 2022.
Mamquam House
The duo are now planning a third, more ambitious project, called Mamquam House, that is slated to include five "micro-communities," with a total of 30 units.
Mamquam House, at 40215 Government Rd, will have shared-bathroom suites, with rents starting at $1,100 per month, plus utilities and household expenses.
This month, on Dec. 3, though, the plans were put in jeopardy when the District council passed three readings of a bylaw that would change the current R-1 zoning to R-3, meaning they could not go ahead with their plans as designed.
While it doesn’t change the unit count, it means a significant delay and loss of about $150,000 in designing plans.
A District spokesperson said this rezoning has to do with increasing density, but also addressing increased density in higher flood-risk areas.
The rezoning that impacted this property is part of a broad, District-wide rezoning amendment.
“The proposed zoning change is in line with Bill 44—Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing—[provincial] legislation that requires municipalities to amend their zoning bylaws to increase minimum density standards to allow more housing options in residential neighbourhoods,” the spokesperson said.
The District completed the first Bill 44 zoning bylaw amendment to increase density in some of these residential neighbourhoods through the adoption of the R-1 Zone in June 2024, except for the high flood hazard residential areas of Squamish.
A flood consultant was hired to determine how to address the Bill 44 requirements in high flood hazard areas of the district while also aligning with the District’s Integrated Flood Hazard Management Plan and the flood hazard policies and guidelines in the Official Community Plan, according to the spokesperson.
“The R-3 Zone (along with several other residential zones, including R-2, R-4 and R-5, that apply to other flood hazard residential areas in the District) is the culmination of this flood hazard policy and analysis work. Aligning zoning with the Integrated Flood Hazard Management Plan also ensures that zoning does not exceed the risk tolerance levels established through that process," continued the muni spokesperson.
“This property was initially zoned R-1. However, further work with the flood consultant identified additional properties that needed to have their densities and setbacks adjusted to align the property with the Integrated Flood Hazard Management Plan.”
Engagement for the project occurred over the fall, including an Open House on Oct. 9, 2024, with approximately 35 attendees, according to the District.
The Responsible Living folks didn’t hear about the change before it happened and are asking the council and District to pull their property out of the rezoning.
"With over 120 residents on our waiting list for Mamquam House, we encourage the mayor to champion affordable housing in Squamish by removing 40215 Government Rd. from the new zoning changes,” Ransier said in an email to The Squamish Chief.
Asked if it would be possible for the District to pull the Responsible Living property out of the rezoning, the District spokesperson said no.
“It is not possible for a single property to be exempted from Bylaw 3104 as this would not be equitable for the other hundreds of properties being rezoned in high flood hazard areas across the District to comply with Bill 44 and District flood policy,” the spokesperson said.
“Individual property owners can apply to rezone their properties if they would like to develop in a way that is not compliant with their current zoning. Properties that are located in high flood hazard areas generally need to engage a flood hazard engineering consultant to review their proposed development to determine if it meets the District’s flood policies, guidelines and regulations. Doing this ensures that the properties can be developed in a way that is safe for the intended use.”
Co-housing draw
For Ashraf, the first problem co-housing solves is affordability.
"When I lived here in 2011, I had a basement, one bedroom suite, $600 a month," he recalls, though he isn't bitter about the rent increase over time, seeing it instead as inevitable, given the beauty and central location of Squamish.
"You would expect that right, living between Vancouver and Whistler, Squamish—it's got the potential for growth," he said.
What he pays per month for his unit is low compared with other rentals in town, and he doesn't pay for utilities, he said.
They are purpose-built rentals, too, which means renting a unit doesn't come with the anxiety that your landlord may sell or "reno-vict" you.
The other challenge that co-housing solves is isolation.
A single guy, Ashraf, said that given how exhausting construction work can be, he could tend to get into a routine of working, going home and maybe playing a video game, sleeping and doing it all again the next day without much socializing outside of work.
Now, he has a built-in community.
"It's a way to force you to be somewhat social," he said. "Because you have to cook in the kitchen, which means you interact with other people. And I always thought that concept was really good because I've lived in rental accommodation for, I'd say, over half of my life now, and when I came here, I always thought that was something that had been missed as an opportunity [in Squamish]."
He said the mix of ages in his building means that tenants can learn and be inspired by each other. He gave the example of a younger tenant who is into snowboarding, which reminded Ashraf of when he worked in Whistler.
"It's nice in that aspect, there's a good mix of people, different ages, different backgrounds, different hobbies," he said.
While there isn't a strata, Ashraf said the house co-ordinator is the go-between for the residents and the owners.
Most everything to do with living in the home is done by vote, for example what outdoor feature they want in the yard, paid for with a monthly allowance from the owners.
"In the summer, a bunch of the tenants are into gardening. One of the tenants is a landscaper. And so Responsible Living were like, ‘OK, we'll pay for materials. You put in the labour.’ So we had, I think, four planters, and they were growing zucchini, tomatoes, chillies, flowers. And there were a bunch of people who were involved in that kind of thing," he said.
"There has been talk of a sauna."
He said he knows that some locals don't like the idea of these co-housing developments, but for him, more are needed in town.
"There's resistance to change," he acknowledged.
"If I came into money, this is what I would do because you can look at a townhome, say, a three-bedroom, two-bathroom, townhome, with a master bedroom with an ensuite being rented for, like, $1,500. And then you got bills on top of that, and what I pay is very close to that, and I have no bills … Hydro, internet, it's all included. And so for me, I think it's a great idea. I feel that more of this type of housing would be beneficial.
To find out more about Responsible Living’s co-housing options so far, go to www.responsibleliving.ca.
