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Years est. 1954
Volume 60 No. 45
Action plan out for housing Cameron Orr After much anticipation, a government Housing Action Plan for Kitimat was publicly released late last month. The report puts down a number of recommendations for Kitimat to deal with housing challenges on a number of fronts, from worker housing to affordable housing. “As a small community heavily dependent on industry, Kitimat is affected by changes in housing demand that are closely associated with decisions of major industries,” says a portion of the report’s key findings. “Although it is difficult to quantify, a number of people with low incomes...are unable to afford higher rents for suitable housing.” The report goes on to provide a number of recommendations. One is for continued funding for the Extreme Weather Response shelter, which operated in Kitimat last winter. The reports points out eight people used it last year, but Kitimat’s housing resource workers “observe that the number of people sleeping rough has visibly increased in 2014.” The report also highlights a need for a “second-stage” transitional house which would give women and children a place to live for up to two years while looking for permanent housing. On the matter of rent supplements, the report says there is a need to make existing rental subsidy programs more widely known and promoted, by the District of Kitimat and outreach workers. “BC Housing should consider adding 10 or more rent supplements and increasing the threshold limits for both programs,” says the report, which includes a suggestion for the increasing of the annual gross housing maximum, which is currently $35,000 for the Rental Assistance Program. The report also touches on the issue of temporary workers housing. In it the report says that living out allowances should not be acceptable, “as they quickly and artificially inflate rental rates in a small community.” This opposition to living out allowances, the report continues, should be conveyed to proponents of future projects, and to their contractors. Rio Tinto Alcan had offered living out allowances earlier in the modernization project but have since discontinued that offer. We spoke with Chevron about their perspective on Kitimat’s housing — given they have an up-to 600 bed permitted camp near the former Eurocan plant now — and they say that camp is designed to reduce stress to Kitimat’s housing market. Continued on page 8
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Wednesday, November 5, 2014
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A concept view of what could be built at the former hospital site along Lahakas and Haisla Boulevards. Concept drawing from Kerkhoff Construction
Glimpse given for old hospital site Cameron Orr In 2005 the former Kitimat General Hospital was imploded, marking the end of a community landmark. Nine years later we finally have a glimpse of the next phase of the vacant plot of land. The Haisla Nation now own the land and are working with Kerkhoff Construction to see it redeveloped as a complex of apartment units, office space, a restaurant and a hotel. Leonard Kerkhoff presented a preliminary look at the project to the Committee of the Whole meeting on October 27. The project would require rezoning and subdivision, a process that has not begun as of press time. Kerkhoff said some of the forested area behind the site would need to be cleared to make way for the three proposed apartment buildings but that a swath of forest would be protected under a proposed covenant. Parking for the apartments would also be built underground. As proposed the plans are for an 80-room hotel, a 5,000 square foot restaurant (Kerkhoff compared the size to that of a typical Moxies or White Spot location) and a 15-20,000
square foot, two storey office building. That’s in addition to the three 49-unit apartment buildings. The land is currently zoned Institutional, which allows for buildings such as, obviously, hospitals. Rezoning two portions of the property would make the northern part, where the apartments would go, a residential zone, while the southern end would be a comprehensive development zone to allow the three facilities. He said there are no plans for retail space, so occupants at this location would be for people not already served in the City Centre. It is the early stages of the project which would, in addition to rezoning, need traffic and geotechnical studies. Kerkhoff said they’ll develop traffic studies for the property, but likely the entrance will come off from Lahakas, near the helipad, and the exit on Haisla Boulevard will only allow for right-hand turns, given medians are already in place on the road. A town-owned park space on the lower portion of the property will remain parkland, and the Gyro Christmas Tree on the property will likely be relocated to that space, said Kerkhoff.
Proposal would see 80-room hotel, restaurant, office space and three apartment buildings.
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