North Island College plans first student housing project

North Island College President Lisa Domae and Ronna-Rae Leonard, MLA for Courtenay-Comox stand with conceptual renderings of the new student housing planned for North Island College. It will be the first on-campus housing built by the college. (Province of BC/Flickr)

A college with five learning centres on the North Island, including a large campus in Courtenay, has announced its first ever student housing project.

The president of North Island College says construction will begin on two buildings on the Courtenay campus with enough beds for 217 students, both single and with families.

“Today is a historic day for North Island College,” says president Lisa Domae. “Today’s announcement from the provincial government will mark the first ever housing project for students at North Island College.”

The $65.9-million facility will accommodate students whether they’re attending college for four years or just eight weeks.

Of the funding total, $57.3 million will come from government, with $6.6 million from the BC Student Housing Loan Program and the remaining $2 million coming from North Island College.

“We have needed this housing for a very long time and so we are very grateful that it’s here, but we know that the student demand is there and we look forward to being able to welcome more people to the college because of the project that’s happening now,” Domae says.

The construction will occur on the Courtenay campus on Ryan Road, close to the Comox Valley Aquatic Centre.

“This housing project will be unique in that it will have beds for single students in a range of types (of housing), including shared suites, individual suites, but it will also feature a family housing building that has two-bedroom suites for student families,” Domae says.

Courtenay/Comox MLA Ronna Rae Leonard says Friday’s announcement is part of the province’s 10-year plan that began in 2018 to build 8,000 new student beds. She says that plan has now reached the 75 per cent mark.

The province says the Comox Valley has a rental vacancy rate of 1.3 per cent, and Leonard says 217 students going into residence will free up much-needed accommodations for others.

“This works for everybody. It creates more affordability as we build more supply and encourages the kind of growth that we need to see in our housing market,” Leonard says.

The hope is that when construction begins, part of the work will be done by the college’s trades students.

“We are graduating construction tradespeople in a variety of areas, everything from carpentry, plumbing, electrical, and it is our sincere desire that residents of the North Island will be able to take their red seal training with us and potentially work on this project,” Domae says.

Completion of the two four-storey buildings is anticipated for the fall of 2024.