Seventy per cent of the 56 units in the Village Way complex, which range from studios to three-bedroom townhouses, will be subsidized
A new partially subsidized rental complex with 56 units ranging from studios to townhouses has opened in downtown Qualicum Beach for people with low to moderate incomes.
Rents are based on income and unit size in the Village Way complex, called the Residences at Qualicum Station, which includes 49 units from studios to one- to three-bedroom suites, and seven three-bedroom townhomes with fenced yards.
Seventy per cent of units in the complex have subsidized rents, with the rest at market rates, ranging from $1,100 for a studio to $2,200 for a three-bedroom.
Eleven units are geared to people with very low incomes, averaging $530 a month, while 29 units have rents geared to income.
The complex is at the intersection of Railway Street and Village Way on previously vacant land owned by the Town of Qualicum Beach.
The project was announced last July and is designed for people having difficulty finding affordable housing, including seniors, families and those with disabilities. The building officially opened its doors in May.
The complex is owned and operated by the Qualicum-Parksville Kiwanis Housing Society, with $12 million of the $22-million cost from the federal Affordable Housing Fund.
Society board chair Scott Rodway thanked B.C. Housing and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation “for their support and assistance in completing this much-needed addition to the housing options required to meet the needs of our town’s residents.”
Residents for the subsidized units are being selected from those with active applications on BC Housing’s housing registry, while market-rental units are being selected by Ballenas Housing Society on behalf of the Qualicum-Parksville Kiwanis Housing Society.
Qualicum Beach Mayor Teunis Westbroek called the new building “a key advancement” in affordable housing in the area.
Housing and Municipal Affairs Minister Ravi Kahlon said providing affordable, stable housing is important as costs continue to rise.
The ministry said that since 2017, more than 93,250 homes have been completed or are being built with help from the provincial government, including 280 new homes in the Oceanside area.
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