North Vancouver home to be moved, repurposed as transitional housing for Squamish Nation – BC

A residence in North Vancouver is being saved from demolition and is being relocated to a new site where it will be used as emergency transitional housing.

Instead of being torn down, the house is being moved to the Squamish Nation reserve to serve as a valuable community resource.

“This will provide a place for emergency housing for those who are displaced or in need of temporary accommodation while waiting for permanent housing,” explained Squamish Nation Elected Councillor Wilson Williams.

1:46
Ten B.C. homes being moved instead of demolished

The relocation project is a collaboration with Renewal Development, a company specializing in salvaging old homes and providing them with a new purpose to prevent them from ending up in landfills.

According to the regional district, over 2,700 houses are demolished annually in Metro Vancouver to make room for higher-density housing.

Get daily National news

Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Renewal Development believes that up to 700 of these homes could be saved, and they claim to be able to accomplish this at a similar cost to demolition.

“Our goal is to preserve as much of the original structure as possible,” stated Glyn Lewis, the owner of Renewal Development.

“In this instance, we are relocating the entire upper floor and dismantling the lower floor that couldn’t be moved.”

The company follows a financial model where homeowners pay the demolition cost, and the remaining relocation expenses are covered by the receivers.

“We strongly advocate for the rescue, relocation, and repurposing of more of these homes,” Lewis added.

A city councillor in the District of North Vancouver is proposing a motion to incentivize the repurposing of old homes by refunding homeowners their demolition permit fees if they participate in the program.

1:56
Historic Vancouver schoolhouse finds new lease on life in Squamish

Muri mentioned that the refund could be substantial.

“Many of these homes, constructed in the 1950s, are built to last,” she noted.

“With available land, especially in partnership with local nations, there is potential to relocate these homes nearby.”

This is not the first notable relocation project carried out by Renewal in the area.

In a previous instance, the company saved Vancouver’s historic “little yellow schoolhouse” from demolition by transferring it to Squamish Nation land in North Vancouver, where it now serves as an early childhood education facility.

Earlier this year, the company also relocated 10 single-family homes from Port Moody to the Sunshine Coast for the shíshálh First Nation.

The ongoing project has attracted attention from the provincial government, developers, and First Nations.

“This aligns with our long-term plan,” Wilson commented.

&copy 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.