Affordable Housing project proposed for old city

The Nanaimo Affordable Housing Society (NAHS) has contacted the Nanaimo Old City Association (NOCA) about a housing project NAHS is proposing on Prideaux Street (close to Comox Road).

The Nanaimo Affordable Housing Society was recently bequeathed five small walk-up apartment buildings for seniors (62 units) in this area of the old city. The buildings are at the end of their lives and in very poor condition.  NAHS is proposing a 130 unit 6-storey building to replace four of the buildings on the east side of Prideaux, and a second 5-story building with 40 to 44 bachelor suites to replace the building on the west side of Prideaux.  These buildings would house a mix of tenants including low income families, singles and people with disabilities in the larger of the two buildings and single individuals in the bachelor units on the small site at 66 Prideaux.

NAHS plans to apply for funding from BC Housing in the spring of this year to fund the project.  The project requires an amendment to Nanaimo’s Official Community Plan (OCP) to rezone the properties from their current lower-density to a higher density, multi-unit residential. The OCP amendment is to have the NAHS parcels of land included with the adjacent Urban Node district to create a more contiguous land use area and shift the Urban Node District to the natural boundary of the train tracks and green area to the west. Comox Road is currently designated as an “urban arterial road”.

If funding is secured, NAHS will engage with NOCA, the City and BC Housing during the design and construction of the buildings.

The Nanaimo Affordable Housing Society presented their ideas to the NOCA Board on January 20, 2020 and received general support from the Board for the project.  The Board wishes to gage the views of NOCA members and residents in the old city about the proposal.  Please send any comments by January 31 to info@nanaimooldcityassociation.ca

Any questions about the project will be sent to NAHS for response.