Beginning in this fall, a seven-acre site on 17 Avenue will start transforming into an Urban Aboriginal Community complete with modern designs, open spaces, and on-site childcare.
That’s the plan for the Aboriginal Housing Society of Prince George (AHSPG), who hosted an open house today (Feb. 19) allowing the public to learn more about the project, which will be located at their current property on 1919 17 Ave.
“We have a few last regularity step in terms of adjusting our zoning on the site," Christos Vardacostas, AHSPG executive director, tells PrinceGeorgeMatters.
"On the other side of that, we are looking to go straight to Phase One which is the development of 50 affordable housing units that are townhouses."
The conceptual master plan for the project includes three phases, with phase one scheduled to move ahead this year.
The first development will consist of 50 affordable housing units within five two-storey townhouse complexes built along Bowser Avenue.
The complex will feature an interior courtyard with playground, gardens and community gathering space.
“It’s about today’s demographic and today’s population that needs housing, and it’s about tomorrow as well so it’s really important we are designing in a way that is conscious of specific family needs, Elders and individuals,” says Vardacostas.
“The ability to grow up in a healthy community and be able to age in place and have the right supports.”
The second part of phase one is the creation of a community centre out of existing site buildings, which includes a childcare facility and digital learning centre.
“The exterior designs are also something we are focusing on very closely where we look to ensure we are essentially building a community where we focus on open spaces and how those spaces are utilized by children and adults and families and Elders.”
He says the society originally purchased the site with the intent to eventually build this community.
“Within the Indigenous population and our partners there is a lot of excitement about this project,” says Vardacostas.
Community engagement for this project began back in 2018, with co-design workshops taking place in 2019.
“This concept is not original — It’s one where we talk about what it’s like for urban Indigenous community and what does it actually mean and how is it fostered. This type of project is one where we are looking to both find and develop best practices and at the same time it could be a model for other neighbourhoods.”
This first phase is funded under BC Housing’s 2018 Indigenous Housing Fund and is currently in the development stage.
Construction is expected to begin in Fall 2020, reaching occupancy in late 2021.
“People really reaching out to us is important because it is very much a community effort and its very much about people coming together,” says Vardacostas.
The next steps include the Official Community Plan (OCP) and Zoning Bylaw amendments; Vardacostas says the society is also looking to formalize their funding call for Phase Two.
The master plan vision also includes up to 200 units of varying sizes to provide homes for families, singles and elders.
Future phases also include the provision to house health and wellness services, and potentially seniors/Elders patient care lodging for individuals and families travelling into the city to access health services.
Further engagement sessions and stakeholder calls for participation will help inform the development of these next phases.
You can learn more about the project on the Aboriginal Housing Society of Prince George’s website.
