B.C. looking at redeveloping Victoria affordable housing complex

BC Housing is in the early stages of redevelopment planning for the decades-old Evergreen Terrace affordable housing complex in Victoria.
The 175-unit complex was built more than 50 years ago, and the province says it's launched a two-year planning and feasibility study into redeveloping the site, located at 2501 Blanshard St.
The province says residents will not need to relocate at this time, and BC Housing plans to allow tenants to stay in their homes for as long as possible until new units are being built.
Current tenants will also be offered a new unit with no change to monthly rent, unless their unit size or income has changed by then.
"Redeveloping aging rental properties into modern, affordable homes for a range of incomes while ensuring existing tenants are protected leaves everyone better off and supports the health of the whole community," said David Eby, Attorney General and Minister Responsible for Housing in a statement Friday.
BC Housing notes that Spaken House, a 21-unit temporary supportive housing building for Indigenous women, opened at Evergreen Terrace in 2020.
All residents of the complex, as well as tenants of Spalken House, will be able to provide input on the future redevelopment. The province says information packages have been distributed to all residents.
The province has committed $467,000 to the project, which includes the feasibility study, planning, design development work and stakeholder consultation.
Part of the study will also include assessing if more units can be added to the existing property.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'My heart breaks': Trudeau reacts to Texas elementary school shooting
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his 'heart breaks' for those impacted by the 'horrific' shooting at an elementary school in Texas that killed 21 people on Tuesday.

Monkeypox in Canada: PHAC now confirms 15 cases countrywide
With Quebec confirming an additional 10 cases of monkeypox identified in the province, the Public Health Agency of Canada says they are monitoring a total of 15 cases across the country.
Clean up, power restoration efforts underway after destructive Ontario storm
Crews are working to restore power to more than 150,000 Ontario customers who are still without hydro after a deadly storm swept through the province on Saturday.
Language law Bill 96 adopted, promising sweeping changes for Quebec
Bill 96, the provincial government's controversial legislation aimed at protecting the French language in Quebec, has been adopted in the National Assembly.
Kate Moss denies Depp ever pushed her down staircase
Supermodel Kate Moss, a former girlfriend of Johnny Depp, denied Wednesday that she had ever been pushed or assaulted by Depp during the course of their relationship.
Sandy Hook senator begs for gun compromise: 'What are we doing?'
Connecticut U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, who came to Congress representing Sandy Hook, begged his colleagues to finally pass legislation addressing the nation's gun violence problem as the latest school shooting unfolded Tuesday in Uvalde, Texas.
Warriors coach Kerr calls for gun control after Texas school shooting
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr refused to talk about basketball at a pre-game news conference on Tuesday and instead called for stricter gun control after the killing of at least 18 children and an adult in a Texas school shooting.
Society 'may not survive' Putin's war, says billionaire George Soros
Russia's invasion of Ukraine may have marked the start of "a third world war," and Russian President Vladimir Putin must be defeated "as soon as possible" if the world wants to preserve civilization, said billionaire and philanthropist George Soros.
Donald Trump-backed challenger loses Georgia primary
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp defeated his Donald Trump-backed challenger David Perdue on Tuesday after a furious push by the former president to punish Kemp for not overturning the 2020 election results. Kemp's victory sets up another general election race against Democrat Stacey Abrams, who was unopposed in her primary.