More social housing for Little Mountain site after long delay

The City of Vancouver officially broke ground on a new affordable housing project in the Little Mountain neighbourhood more than a decade and a half after hundreds of residents in social housing on the site were displaced.

Holborn Properties Ltd. is now constructing a 48-unit affordable rental building as part of a community amenity contribution the company agreed to when city council approved private development rights.

"The Little Mountain project is a testament to our shared vision of inclusive urban development that prioritizes social responsibility alongside economic growth," said Holborn CEO Joo Kim Tiah.

But it comes about 16 years after 700 residents were displaced from the area when the developer purchased the Little Mountain land between Main and Ontario streetsand 33rdand 37th avenuesfor $334million in 2008.

Since then, only one social housing project a 53-unit building finished in 2015 has been completed on the site.

There has long been frustration from city officials over Holborn's failureto develop the landwhile its property value soared.

In a news conference on Thursday, Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim tookthecredit on behalf of his ABC Party for finally getting the new development off the ground.

"At the end of the day, this thing was talked about, talked about, talked about, and there were no shovels in the ground until we came into office," said Sim, who became mayor in October 2022. "It's getting built. We're starting it."

The project began gainingmomentum in 2021 following the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the province, the city and Holbornto accelerate redevelopment of the site, especially social housing.

In November 2023, Sim and his party votedto remove a previous condition that required Holbornto build two phases of social housing before it could build market condos.

Social housing, child care, plaza

The new six-storeyrental building will be built at 167 E. 36th Ave.

The city says it will includesocial housing, a neighbourhood house and a community plaza.

There will also be a child-care facility on the ground floor with 69 spaces.

The building will have multiple housing options ranging from studios to three-bedroom units,including accessible units.

The city says it will rent at least 30 per cent of the unitsto individuals or families whosemaximum gross household incomes are no higher thanB.C. Housing's housing income limits. According to 2023 figures, the limit for a three-bedroom unit in Vancouver is$86,000 a year.

The city says the remainingunits will be rented at a discounted market rental rate.

S.U.C.C.E.S.S., a not-for-profit social service agency, will operate the building.

The city expects construction to be completed by spring 2026.

History of controversy

The six-hectare Little Mountain site was home to 224 units of social housing that existed from the 1950s until the land was sold in 2008.

It remained untouched for years.

Holborn initially said it intended to build over 1,500 housing units on the property, including 282 units of social housing.

In 2021, CBC News obtained the purchase and sale agreement between the province and Holborn through a freedom of information request.

It revealed that in 2008, the B.C. Liberal government at the time gave Holborn $211 million in interest-free loans on an 18-year term. Interest isn't set to accrue until Dec. 31, 2026.

The sale price for the land in 2008 was $334 million, but the province said only $35 million had been paid.

Minister of Housing, Ravi Kahlon,said Wednesday that "everything about Little Mountain has been a disaster," referring to the 2008 deal and the lack of development.

"It's a reminder that giving public lands to privateinterest without any checks and balances is definitely not the way government should be going forward," he said.

At the groundbreaking, Tiah apologized for how long it's taken to build housing on the site. He said his company is now focused on moving ahead as quickly as possible.

"Wait around for a couple more months and you'll see the result," he said.

WATCH | More than a decade of broken promises at Little Mountain:

12 years of broken promises for Vancouver social housing

9 months ago

Duration 2:19

Justin McElroy looks at more than a decade of governments and developers promising that the Little Mountain social housing complex will be rebuilt and then very little happening.