Interior Community Services will be constructing a new 44-storey apartment building at this location in the 400-block of Tranquille Road. (Photo via Google Maps)
A new six-storey affordable housing building with 44 units will built on three vacant lots at Tranquille Road and Mackenzie Avenue on the North Shore.
A proposal from Interior Community Services (ICS), it will feature a mix of one, two, and three bedrooms units, as well as several accessible units located above a main floor of office space.
CEO Kelly Kelland tells NL News this is the first-ever build for Interior Community Services as well as the biggest project they have been involved with.
“It is exciting for the organization. That project is for seniors and for families as well as adults with diverse abilities,” she said Friday. “It is an expansion in the housing department at ICS and it goes along with the beautification of the North Shore and its going to be a great project.”
Interior Community Services is a multi-service agency that has provided support and affordable housing to youth, individuals with diverse abilities, seniors, and families for over 50 years. It currently manages over 350 units of housing in several B.C. communities including Kamloops, 100 Mile House, and Chase.
The main floor will eventually become home to the administration offices for Interior Community Services, currently located at 765 Tranquille Road.
“We have a building at 396 Tranquille which is right beside where this project is going to go. The proximity is good. It is on a bus route. There are going to be some gardens and some play areas for the children,” Kelland added.
“It definitely fits in with the North Shore and what the BIA is up to. This is, I think, another example of strong partnerships with the community.”
Back in July 2018, the organization was the recipient of funding for this project at 400, 404 and 410 Tranquille Road, through the Province’s Community Housing Fund.
Kelland says while COVID-19 has led to challenges, design plans and budgets for the project are are currently being reviewed. The units in the building will be for rent, with ICS is providing the land and BC Housing shouldering construction costs.
“We are excited this project will be able to provide safe, affordable homes for seniors, families with low to moderate incomes and individuals with diverse abilities, and simultaneously help our community recover from the pandemic,” she added.
ICS is hoping to begin construction in either late 2022 or early 2023 with occupancy in 2024.
