The Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD) Homelessness Support Service recently received $250,000 from Kensington Union Bay Properties (Kensington) as a community amenity for their proposed development within Union Bay.
The CVRD’s Regional Growth Strategy identified Union Bay as a settlement node that would accommodate moderate growth over the next twenty years. As part of the development, the developer proposes to construct two golf courses plus a mixture of housing and commercial space which could ultimately include approximately 2,889 units once fully built out. As part of the updated Master Development Agreement (MDA) the developer will dedicate 51.3 hectares of parks and trails, provide a 1.62 hectare lot to Union Bay Improvement District (UBID) for the purposes of a new water treatment facility, a one hectare lot to UBID for construction of a new fire hall as well as the provision of 30 affordable housing serviced lots by 2027. The developer will also provide sewage treatment infrastructure for the development which could be expanded to provide wastewater service to some of the surrounding area.
“I am excited as this is the first step forward with our new proposed development in Union Bay,” explains Brian McMahon, Vice President for Kensington Union Bay Properties. “Helping our community in areas of need is of utmost importance. I know the donation will assist many residents in our region.”
The funds provided by Kensington support the CVRD Homelessness Supports Service. The funds in that service are allocated to agencies identified by the Comox Valley Coalition to End Homelessness in its Five Year Plan, which the CVRD board approves on an annual basis. In 2018, the Five Year Plan has identified four agencies to receive funding including the Comox Valley Transition Society, John Howard Society, Wachiay Friendship Centre/ M’akola Housing and the Habitat for Humanity Vancouver Island North.
“The funds contributed in late 2017 by the developer along with 30 serviced single family lots to be provided by 2027 will provide much needed support in the full spectrum of housing needs in the Comox Valley,” commented CVRD General Manager of Planning and Development Ann MacDonald.
Sarah Sullivan, Heather Ney, CVRD Board Chair Bruce Jolliffe, Brian McMahon and Richard Clarke
For more information on the Homelessness Support Service visit our homelessness support page.
The Comox Valley Regional District is a federation of three electoral areas and three municipalities providing sustainable services for residents and visitors to the area. The members of the regional district work collaboratively on services for the benefit of the diverse urban and rural areas of the Comox Valley.
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CVRD Media Contact:
Jennifer Steel
Manager of Corporate Communications
250-334-6063
Kensington Island Properties Media Contact:
Brian McMahon
250-703-6337