Work has begun on what will be the largest ever below-market housing project on the North Shore and a new home for North Shore Neighbourhood House.
Politicians and dignitaries gathered at the construction site on the 200 block of East First Street on Friday to launch Phase 2 of the North Shore Neighbourhood House rebuild, which will see 179 new apartments in a 15-storey building over top of a 30,000-square-foot services hub.
The project was among the first to be ushered in through the province’s BC Builds program, which provides low-cost financing, expedited approvals and grants for projects built on public lands. Premier David Eby announced the launch of BC Builds at the same location just 14 months earlier.
“The goal for all of our BC Builds projects was to go from concept to having shovels in the ground, ready to go, from 12 to 18 months and that’s what we’re seeing here today,” said Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon, adding that was “remarkable” speed.
Initially, council didn’t intend to start construction on Phase 2 of the project until 2028, but City of North Vancouver Mayor Linda Buchanan said BC Builds made it possible to get it built way ahead of schedule.
“I want to underscore just how unusual it is for a project of this magnitude to move this quickly. I have heard it many times before that government is too slow and too rigid – that we miss the moment,” she said. “I have always believed government can do better, and that we must do better to deliver the homes people need at scale and speed that matches the urgency of the moment.”
Council voted last August on the rules that non-profit developer Catalyst must follow when setting rents for the building when it opens in 2028. All of the rental homes must be at least 10-per-cent below market rates, and at least 30 per cent of the units will be designated as affordable, which Catalyst has proposed be as $1,118 per month for a studio, $1,318 for a one-bedroom, $1,729 for a two-bedroom and $2,150 for a three bedroom.
Rents like that would be attainable for the working-class households the local community and economy need, Buchanan said, gesturing to a group of kiddos playing outside in the existing Neighbourhood House’s daycare yard.
“That is who we are doing this for – them and their families. This is the largest investment in housing for everyday people our city has seen in a generation,” she said.
The new North Shore Neighbourhood House will provide an array of community services, including 37 child care spaces, food programs such as the North Shore Food Bank, wellness and recreation activities, and youth and seniors’ programs.
The province is investing $24.5 million in construction through a BC Builds grant, while the City of North Vancouver is contributing the land and $49.5 million in funding for the North Shore Neighbourhood House.
Those prices, however, may be subject to change, Kahlon acknowledged, as U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs begin hitting the supply chain. With 40 to 60 per cent of home-building materials coming via the U.S., Khalon said there’s no question that construction projects are going to be impacted. But, he said, B.C. is being highly careful in pushing for counter-tariffs that won’t further harm our abilities to get homes built. And, he said, the province is moving to diversify the supply chain.
“We’re doing active work right now on what can we scale up for manufacturing locally? What partners elsewhere, besides the U.S., can we source some of these materials from? We’re planning some trade missions to be able to do that,” he said.
No small part of the strategy will be making more use of mass timber, which North Shore Neighbourhood House and the accompanying housing will be made from.
“It’s sustainable. It ensures that we can build housing in a quicker way. It allows us to use the products that we have here in British Columbia – our forest resources – to add better value. It is the triple word score,” he said.
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