A Burnaby housing development could be getting a major facelift.
The province, as well as BC Housing, is exploring options to replace 101 "aging" units at Burnaby's Stratford Gardens (6005 Pandora St.) with newer, affordable homes.
Stratford Gardens is currently owned and operated by BC Housing.
The five residential buildings opened in 1971 but in 2017, one of the buildings was demolished after a fire destroyed the unit.
Twenty-five low-income Burnaby residents lost their homes to the fire.
A blaze had broken out in a two-storey building that houses about 12 apartments.
The Province, through BC Housing, is exploring opportunities to replace the aging units at the Stratford Gardens housing development in Burnaby with more new modern, affordable homes.
— BC Housing (@BC_Housing) June 16, 2021
Learn more: https://t.co/bPBV82xgQM pic.twitter.com/gwxccfGLq4
BC Housing and the government say the site is able to accommodate more affordable housing units.
"A redevelopment of Stratford Gardens could lead to even more homes to accommodate people with a wide range of incomes in the community," Burnaby North MLA Janet Routledge said in a news release on behalf of Minister Responsible for Housing and Attorney General David Eby.
"I look forward to hearing from the public and working closely with BC Housing to develop a plan to provide safe and affordable homes that meet the needs of people in Burnaby."
Planning is currently in the early stages. A consultation process will begin in the coming weeks and be provided to tenants, neighbouring residents and key stakeholders.
If given the go-ahead, tenants will be supported so they can stay in their units as much as possible until the new spaces are finished.
Once completed, tenants currently living in the buildings will be given first choice of new units with no changes to monthly rent unless their incoming or household size has changed in the interim.
The province, through BC Housing, will be giving a development funding grant of $671,000 that will be used to hire consultants for the due diligence, feasibility, planning, stakeholder consultation and design development work that would be associated with the redevelopment.
A final project budget will be decided once designs and a timeline are in place.
- With files from Cornelia Naylor, Burnaby NOW
