The Good Neighbour Agreement for BC Housing’s proposed Elliott Street Supportive Housing Development in West Quesnel has been completed and endorsed by the City of Quesnel and the RCMP.
The agreement is between BC Housing’s chosen operator – the Quesnel Shelter and Support Society (QSSS) – and the City and RCMP, and is a condition of the zoning bylaw amendments needed to make the housing development a reality.
The Good Neighbour Agreement met with its third reading at Sept. 25’s City Council meeting, and the final reading is scheduled to occur at an upcoming meeting on Oct. 2.
The housing agreement between BC Housing and the City has also been finalized, and the City will now be in a position to provide final readings of the Official Community Plan Amendment Bylaw and Zoning Amendment Bylaw required to advance the Elliott Street Housing Supportive Housing Project, following receipt of the development permit application.
At a special council meeting on Sept. 4, director of development services Tanya Turner indicated that it may take some time before the development permit, which must be submitted by the operator QSSS, is received.
QSSS executive director Melanie MacDonald confirms the society is working on the application.
“We are in the process. At this point, BC Housing has put out an expression of interest for a design consultant – now that the facility has changed not to include the shelter, some changes need to be made to the facility,” she explains. The new design will be submitted to the City along with the application for development permit.
An emergency and short-stay shelter component was removed from the plan after public input in March this year.
READ MORE: BC Housing takes shelter component out of Elliott Street proposal
READ MORE: Quesnel city council agrees to amendments to Elliott Street Housing Agreement
The Good Neighbour Agreement will be overseen by a committee made up of members from QSSS, the City and the RCMP, as well as other interested parties. The committee will initially meet once a month.
QSSS was named again as operator of BC Housing’s proposed development on July 23, 2018. QSSS was the original operator when the housing development was first proposed; however, after Quesnel City Council questioned the suitability of QSSS as operator of the housing development, BC Housing issued a request for proposals in December 2017, inviting other qualified non-profit organizations to bid on the operating contract.
READ MORE: BC Housing to issue RFP for operation of supportive housing project
Ultimately, QSSS was chosen again by BC Housing as the best option.
“It’s very validating,” says MacDonald.
“We are really excited to be moving forward on a positive note. We worked towards that new facility for a lot of years. We are really excited at the prospect of offering housing to people, because it’s so desperately needed.”
editor@quesnelobserver.com
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