A ground-breaking ceremony was held Thursday for an $80-million, 200-unit rental housing development on Cowichan Tribes land.
“Today marks a milestone for not only this project, but for our community,” Chief Sulsulxumaat Cindy Daniels said Thursday.
“This major housing development will transform the lives of the residents who will live here at the edge of the Quw’utsun Sta’lo’ (Cowichan River) which has sustained our people physically and spiritually for millennia.”
Two buildings of six storeys each will be located next to the river in the development, called Rivers Edge.
Tenants should be able to move in by the fall of 2026, said Renee Olson, interim chief executive for KDLLP, a division of the Khowutzun Development Corporation, the economic development arm of Cowichan Tribes.
A gymnasium, offices and a cafe will fill the lower floors of the buildings, which will also include gathering spaces, she said Thursday. Each building will have five storeys of rental units.
The buildings’ design includes First Nation art, with river rock planned for the exterior and undulating roof lines that reflect the Cowichan River, Olson said.
About 30 per cent of the suites are expected to be rented at 25 per cent below the area’s market rate, she said.
Final rents have not yet been established.
Units will be larger than typical rental spaces, Olson said.
The project includes an underground parkade, play area, outdoor kitchen and community gardens and gathering spaces, Olson said.
The project will also include EV charging and energy-efficient elements throughout, she said.
Rental units will be open to everyone in the area, Olson said, but Cowichan Tribes members will have first refusal for the below-market rental units.
Daniels said that as the largest First Nation by population in the province, with 5,500-plus members, Cowichan Tribes has an acute need for housing for families.
It can be challenging to build on-reserve housing, she said, praising the KDLLP for its partnerships and collaboration with the province, B.C. Housing and the Infrastructure Bank of Canada.
Knappett Projects is the general contractor, she said.
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