New multi-use housing is coming to the Downtown Eastside, with residents helping shape the design of homes for individuals, families, and multigenerational households.
According to the news release by the BC Gov, the project at 172 Cordova St. is a partnership between the Province through BC Housing, the federal government through CMHC, the City of Vancouver, the UBC Learning Exchange, and MAC Development and Housing Society. The 11-storey building will have nine storeys of housing, from studios to three-bedroom units.
Christine Boyle, B.C. Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs, said the housing was designed through consultation with residents and local groups, taking a heritage-conservation approach that honours the neighbourhood’s history.
More than 30 conversations with residents and community groups shaped the project, according to the news release. A civic historian and Indigenous consultant worked on the design, which aims to reflect the Indigenous, Chinese-Canadian, Japanese-Canadian and other communities long tied to the area.
The building will include four types of space. MAC Development and Housing Society will own and operate the rental homes. UBC has purchased roughly 930 square metres for the UBC Learning Exchange, which offers low-barrier community programs. A ground-floor community theatre is intended for local arts groups, and commercial units will be leased to retail vendors, with funding reinvested into the building.
According to the news release, the Province will fund 79 homes for middle-income earners through BC Builds, with nearly half priced 20 per cent below market rate — above the program’s usual 20 per cent threshold. MAC Development and Housing Society will own and manage another 39 deeply affordable homes for people on income assistance.
Hedy Fry, MP for Vancouver Centre, said the 118 homes will have a real impact on the families who live there. Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said the city is proud to support the new homes and community spaces. The project is part of a $19-billion provincial housing investment that has delivered or advanced more than 99,000 homes since 2017, including almost 13,000 in Vancouver.
