September 26

Nineteen joined this ASK Salt Spring gathering to welcome the GISRA (Gulf Islands Senior Residents Association https://www.gisra.ca/) Kings Lane housing project team, Janis Gauthier, Harry Barnes, and Linda Adams. After our Acknowledgment and a chance for participants to introduce themselves, we learned what excited and delighted our guests.

While their shared enthusiasm about the potential of their exciting housing project permeated our entire time together, Janis, the moving force behind many of our successful affordable housing projects, also shared her personal joy that a dump truck of compost had just been delivered to her home, quite sure how her weekend would be spent :). Harry, with 30 years focused on oceanographic and biodiversity issues, has immersed himself in the totally different, but potentially extremely rewarding, challenge of managing the many moving parts comprising this Kings Lane housing project. Linda is delighted to use her land use planning skills to find the best possible use for this GISRA property and her administrative experience to shepherd Kings Lane on its journey to completion. 

We began learning why the initial vision for this property, once dubbed Meadowlane, had changed significantly over the years. Initially focused solely on accommodating independent living seniors, widespread needs for housing throughout most Salt Spring demographics lead the GISRA Board to expand their focus to address the housing needs of all ages. 

Harry spoke of his experience placing seniors in Meadowbrook. With a waiting list ranging from 50-70 names, it would be easy to conclude that there is a large unmet need for senior independent living options. Harry’s experience is different: When a unit at Meadowbrook becomes available, many on that waiting list are simply not ready to move. It is his experience that, despite a long waiting list, there are seldom more than a few ready to move when space becomes available. With this experience, repeated often over the years, it became clear to the GISRA Board that a housing project encompassing not only seniors but also families and working adults would better serve our community. This diversity of ages and circumstances is also expected to create a richer experience for all residents of this affordable housing community.

(NOTE: This conclusion that the need for senior independent living options on Salt Spring is largely met should not be confused with the ongoing and serious need for long term care options in our community.) 

Seeking this highest and best use for the centrally-located 3.43-acre property near Lady Minto Hospital, Upper Ganges Centre, and adjacent to a clinic with 6 doctors, Linda, Janis, and Harry are excited by the potential of this proposed 50-unit residence and expansion of the clinic. They are also constantly aware of the endless work, tenacity, and even luck required to acquire the estimated $24 million need to make this vision a reality.

Prominent on the list of what needs to be done immediately are land use issues and funding:

Land Use: GISRA applied to the Islands Trust at the end of May this year for an Amending Bylaw to the previously-approved bylaw defining uses for this property. These requested amendments expand uses beyond just seniors and provide the option of subdividing the clinic property from the residences. GISRA also requested amendments that would allow the existing clinic to expand to better accommodate local doctors and other medical practitioners. Local Trustees showed their support of this expanded vision for this property by agreeing to expedite the process, with the final two of the four required readings expected this fall.

Currently, the Islands Trust is awaiting responses from their long list of stakeholders consulted in their decisions. They were also awaiting feedback from their Agricultural Land as well as Advisory Planning Commissions. The GISRA team recently met with both of these commissions, answering lots of questions and leaving both meetings with their support. 

In addition to the required Amending Bylaw, an Affordable Housing Agreement mandating that rents remain affordable in perpetuity will need to be approved and registered on the title. Concerning this agreement, we learned that, while most understand that affordable housing denotes rentals below market rates, the details of what constitutes affordable varies. Our Official Community Plan’s (OCP: https://islandstrust.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/SS-BL-434_2020-10_OCP_Vol1-2.pdf) defines the total amount of rent allowed to be charged for affordable housing as 30% of the Salt Spring median family or individual income from the last census. This definition is more permissive than that of some funders, like BC Housing, requiring lower rent limits. Consequently, the project is able to support a lower mortgage which means needing higher equity/grants.

In addition to the Amending Bylaw and Affordable Housing Agreement on the title, eventually, GISRA will also have to apply and receive an Islands Trust Development Permit and a CRD Building Permit; acquire a sewer connection; and begin working with the multi-skilled team of architects, engineers, and construction professionals to move this project to completion. 

Funding: While the applications and permits may seem dizzying, this GISRA team has the perfect set of skills to successfully navigate these administrative hurdles. Getting the needed $24 million presents a totally different set of challenges. 

This team is seeking local funders both to help defray housing costs as well as to illustrate to provincial funders that it has strong local support. Quite successful so far, the Salt Spring Foundation has generously offered $100,000 as well as a few years of help with operating costs if the project proceeds, Electoral Director Gary Holman has offered up to $600,000 of Community Works Funds (https://www.crd.ca/your-community/community-funding/community-works-fund) to extend the CRD Sewer system, the Local Community Commission has given a $5,000 Grant-in-Aid to support initial work, and the Islands Trust Executive Committee sponsored the rezoning application to the tune of $4,900. Conversations are in progress with a number of other interested nonprofits with more local funding commitments expected soon. 

GISRA recently submitted a complex and extremely detailed application to BC Housing for its Community Housing Fund Program: (https://www.bchousing.org/projects-partners/Building-BC/CHF). In the past, BC housing offered funding for the immense amount of work needed to complete such an application, often called Predevelopment Funding (PDF). This time, the work needed to apply falls on the proposing team and local donors plus other sources to cover these predevelopment needs. 

The Community Housing Fund is highly competitive with far more applications from BC communities than can be funded. So, the GISRA team worked countless hours to strengthen this application which could, if awarded, offer a $8,900,000 capital grant as well as ongoing operating support. Better mortgage rates would also be available were BC Housing to select this Salt Spring project as they sell these mortgages to banks which bid competitively to acquire these secure loans.

Linda, Harry, and Janis constantly ponder scenarios concerning this BC Housing opportunity. Hoping for a simple success, they are well aware they could be rejected, beaten by other projects with lower construction and operating costs. They could also be asked by BC Housing to go back to the drawing board multiple times, further honing and modifying their proposal. 

If that fails, BC Builds (https://www.bcbuildshomes.ca/about) is another option on the radar of this expert team. And, if this does not prove to be fruitful, they are well-connected to other potential funding sources, including Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation, CMHC (https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/); the CRD Regional Housing Municipal Finance Authority program; and even our new CRD Rural Housing Program (https://getinvolved.crd.bc.ca/crd-rural-housing-program) to which GISRA has already applied for $100,000 to help fund the work needed to move this project forward.

While $24 million is a daunting amount, there could not be a more qualified Salt Spring team to make it happen:

• Harry brings five years as GISRA’s Executive Director with responsibility for Meadowbrook; revisioning this exciting new project on Kings. Lane; and saying an enthusiastic “Yes” to opportunities as they arise, like accommodating the Kings Lane Temporary Housing portables, a win for all. 
• Linda, Vice-Chair of the GISRA Board, offers her life long career as a land use planner with an up close and personal understanding of the complexity of administrative requirements and the knowledge, temperament, and tenacity to navigate them all. 
• Janis has decades of successfully captaining our most significant affordable housing projects to fruition, beginning with Meadowbrook and Murakami Gardens and including Croftonbrook’s successful 74 unit project.

Despite daunting obstacles, Salt Spring has the best team possible to make this large and complex project a reality. 

But, they cannot do it alone. . . .They will be depending upon the amazing expertise of a wide array of nonprofits ready to lend a hand when needed. To highlight several of the many who will partner are IWAV (https://iwav.org/) with its successful 74-unit mixed-income Croftonbrook, a model to guide this new project as well as offering proof to funders that Salt Springers can do it. And, highly successful but a relative newcomer to Salt Spring, the Lookout Housing and Health Society (https://lookoutsociety.ca/), was just awarded the Drake Road supportive housing contract and will very possibly play an active role with operations management of the Kings Lane project. (Lookout will be our special ASK Salt Spring guest this Friday, October 3,11-1; IWAV will join us October 31.) 

And, our personal generosity will also be needed. Meadowbrook was helped by private donors, Kings Lane may be as well if Salt Springers step up to make it happen. Anything helps (https://www.gisra.ca/give-to-gisra). Have a large amount to give? Maybe there is a naming opportunity, something far better than its current somewhat mundane moniker, Kings Lane? 

Too soon, our time together was over. It was with awe and deep appreciation that we bid farewell to this A Team in the housing world, aware of the hard work expended day after day to provide this much needed housing for our community, the courage and vision to vault hurdle after hurdle along the way, and the good cheer during this long, complex journey. (Thank-you, Linda, Harry, and Janis!)  

Just in case you are interested. . . .This report has been written by Gayle Baker, founder of ASK Salt Spring, currently also a Salt Spring Local Community Commissioner. It has been reviewed and edited by Harry, Linda, and Janis.