City to consider old King Edward School site for Senior's Housing proposal at Monday's meeting

The Old King Edward School site on Eighth Avenue East may see new
life as a housing development for Elder's and Senior's

A proposal for increasing the housing stock for Senior citizens will be on the agenda for Monday's City Council Session, as the Metlakatla Development Corporation outlines its proposed development plan for a parcel of land at the corner of Eighth Avenue East and Green Street on the city's east side.

The proposed development to be known as the Metlakatla Elder's/Senior's Village is part of a rezoning application for the property in question listed as 700 Green Street, the location of the Old King Edward Elementary School, which was demolished in 2012.

The Metlakatla Development Corporation purchased the land in 2009, with the site remaining vacant over the years as a number of proposals floated for the location never move past the discussion phase.

The potential development of the site as Senior's housing was outlined one year ago, when the Metlakatla Development Corporation explored community interest in the concept, hosting a pair of community forums on the theme.

The City Zoning map outlines the area under consideration for re-zoning

The proposed project comes as part of an accommodation agreement reached with the province through BC Housing and the current consideration would offer a mix of senior's affordable rental housing consisting of 32 units in two separate two storey buildings, and 10 units of row housing for seniors who may want to downsize from their current homes.

Two structures two storeys high and ten row homes make for the design
under consideration for the Metlakatla Elder's/Senior's Village proposal

A full overview of what the proposed development might look like can be found from the City Council Agenda for Monday evening, the Metlakatla proposal can be found at page 24 of Monday's documentation.

Council will give consideration to the rezoning application and if they choose to move forward will set in motion the process of consultation required for those in the area to offer their feedback to the project, prior to the proposal going to the Public Hearing phase.

The need for Senior's housing has been a frequent refrain from Council in the last few years, and while many options have been promoted in the last two years, few have actually made it to the shovels in the ground phase of development.

You can review some of the past housing files from our archive page here.

More notes related to City Council Discussions can be found on our Council archive page here.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review