Your Weekly North Vancouver Island Construction News
In this week’s Editor’s Note:
- Courtenay: moving forward with the $6.6+ million 6th Street Pedestrian Bridge project
- Powell River: the first of two apartments buildings is complete, 141 total units
- Campbell River: Construction Management Services requests for a 45 unit apartment building and a childcare building
Courtenay: moving forward with the $6.6+ million 6th Street Pedestrian Bridge project
Courtenay is moving forward with the $6.6+ million 6th Street Pedestrian Bridge project and continues to work on funding options. The City has adopted a loan authorization bylaw last week that will provide part of the funding for this project. The city was awarded $2.5 million in grant funds from Infrastructure Canada’s Active Transportation Fund earlier this year, but estimated project costs have increased since 2022 when the project was first approved. The decision was made to increase the planned long-term debt from $1 million to $2.5 million using the city’s approval-free zone that does not require electoral approval. In addition to the grant, the City allocated $1 million from the provincial Growing Communities Fund in November of 2023. This means 38% of the project will be funded by debt under this loan authorization bylaw. Under the terms of the grant, the project must be complete by January 31, 2026.
Powell River: the first of two apartments buildings is complete, 141 total units
Powell River’s newest 141 unit apartment building project is now renting. As of July 1, 2024, Building B has been completed and is ready for occupancy, with nearly 70% of its units leased. Building A is slated for completion in the fall of 2024. The project includes micro-units at 312 sq ft, studios at 571 sq ft, one-bedroom units up to 719 sq ft, and two-bedroom suites ranging from 846 to 1190 sq ft. Rents for the 1 bedroom + den with 627 sq.ft. start at $1750/month, while the 2 bedroom + den with 980 sq.ft. are renting from $1900/month. The project also includes 10 affordable housing units, which will remain affordable for 10 years. Rental applications are online at www.veyronproperties.com.Â
Campbell River: Construction Management Services requests for a 45 unit apartment building and a childcare building
Métis Nation BC has issued a tender for Construction Management Services for a mixed-use apartment building and a childcare building. The single storey childcare building will be approx. 5,100 sq.ft. and is expected to be constructed first due to funding timelines. The second building will be a mixed-use, six-storey, 45-unit apartment building with a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units. The building consists of in suite laundry, indoor and outdoor shared amenity spaces, and a community gathering space located at grade that could also be used for commercial retail space. Both buildings will have surface parking accessed directly from a to-be constructed laneway. The property consists of 4 legal properties that will be consolidated into 2 lots prior to construction. Three of the lots are vacant, and one contains a single-family home (constructed in the 1970s) that will require demolition. Demolition is expected to be a condition of the Development Permit, and the properties are required to be rezoned from the current R-1 and RM-3 to a Comprehensive Development (CD) zone. In addition to costing and tender management, the Metis Nation BC is also seeking input and guidance on overall project constructability, and project phasing/staging. The successful proponent will also be required to provide a site-built and modular-built cost analysis for the childcare building, and input into preferred construction methods. It is intended that the mixed-use building will be site-built (open to pre-fabricated components). The residential portion of the project (within the mixed-use building) was submitted to a BC Housing RFP for funding under the Indigenous Housing Fund on May 15, 2024. The childcare portion of the project has been separately and fully funded through the Ministry of Education and Child Care. The Development Permit applications are expected to be submitted this Fall. The total construction budget for the project is currently estimated to be approximately: $29 million ($24.4M for the mixed-use and $4.6M for the childcare building).
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