Best affordable seniors housing design for Global Awards shortlisted
LOS ANGELES: The shortlist for the best affordable seniors housing design has been declared.
Over 250 designs have been considered by the awards secretariat. One of the finalists in this category is shown above.
BC Housing and the Peachland Seniors’ Support Society are proposing to build a 73-unit complex on 6th Street behind a seniors building completed in 2019. The two buildings will be almost identical.
Peachland council gave zoning and official community plan amendments needed for the project to go ahead first and second readings in May, but attached conditions BC Housing appeared reluctant to accept.
The trickiest one was over parking. Council demanded the building include on-site parking. BC Housing says that would make the project uneconomical.
“We’re quite close,” Tylor Baker of BC Housing told the hearing about the parking negotiations.
BC Housing has proposed 5th Street be closed to provide parking the building requires. Peachland staff has urged council to keep the street public.
Parking spaces paid for by residents may be the answer.
“We anticipate that overall there will be enough spaces for everyone who wants a dedicated space to have one, subject to them paying a fee,” said PSSS President Keith Fielding.
The remaining spots would be public. BC Housing has promised to make several improvements to the small street, including a gain of 17 parking spots.
Council also insisted BC Housing pay half of the development cost charges the project would generate. Council would cover the rest. BC Housing previously said a deal on DCCs was contingent on it getting a parking break.
The Global Award winner will be announced in November in London. (Globals)