A lease agreement has been finalized to proceed with construction of a new apartment building in Snug Cove.
The agreement is between the municipality (BIM) and Lookout Housing and Health Society to create a 27-unit, three-storey building at 1033 Miller Road, between the Health Centre and Crippen Park. The complex will be known as Hemlock Hill Village. Priority for the rental units will be given to Bowen residents and former Islanders who moved away but are now seeking to come back home.
The development has commonly been known as the BIRCH project, recognizing the Bowen Island Resilient Community Housing Society who spearheaded the idea and originally signed a lease agreement with BIM in 2019.
In 2022 BIRCH partnered with Lookout, a Vancouver-based organization which performs extensive work in the supportive housing sector. The group has been involved previously on Bowen via community outreach efforts and work on extreme weather shelters.
“When BIRCH reached out to us to see if we’d like to be a partner on getting some affordable housing here in the community, we were thrilled to step up to the plate and take on the role as operator,” said Megan Kriger, head of Lookout’s development department, at council on Monday.
Lookout staff will have an office on-site and be responsible for the operation of the building once complete. They’ll also work alongside BIRCH members to select applicants with a goal to create a community in the building and promote a vibrant tenant mix. Due to expected demand a waitlist will be utilized once units are initially full.
“We know that there’s a dramatic need for folks for affordable housing… so we want to make sure those are the folks that are getting into this residence,” says Kriger. “Also, there are folks who are residents of Bowen Island who couldn’t afford to live here at the time, and may be wanting to get back to their home community.”
All units will be rentals, featuring a mix of market rent, low income, and subsidy units. The projected percentage of each unit type is 30, 50, and 20 per cent respectively, or approximately 8 market rent, 14 low income, and 5 subsidy. Size-wise suites will range from studio apartments to three-bedroom units.
“It’s always a great day when we get to vote yes to something that’s so easy to do and that supports the community so deeply,” said mayor Andrew Leonard. “Thank you to BIRCH for the many years of advancing this project, and thank you to Lookout for coming on board and operating this.”
“And a word of thanks to previous council and community members who did the work of getting the Community Lands with the vision that this sort of thing could be possible,” the mayor added in reference to those who first envisioned this type of build in Hemlock’s final location.
Kriger says Lookout is hoping to break ground on the site in early 2026.
