By David F. Rooney
People who attended an open house at the the Revelstoke Senior Citizens Housing Society’s Mount Begbie Villas were definitely impressed by the units opened for the public showing Thursday.
Operations Manager Pat Weatherby said the 16 one-bedroom apartments are ideal for seniors 55 or over. They each have a single bedroom, a bathroom and shower, a stacked washer-drier and a large open dining room/living room just off the kitchen. The units have lots of natural light and there will be some exterior space in the front of each unit for a small garden.
“They are very accessible and are ideal for single seniors or couples who are independent. As an affordable project rents are capped at $650 a month. Hoswever, applicants must have incomes of $25,000 or less, said Society Chairwoman Pam Doyle.
The villas were built through the Seniors’ Rental Housing (SRH) initiative, which is the result of a $365-million joint investment under an amendment to the Canada-British Columbia Affordable Housing Initiative Agreement that includes funding from Canada’s Economic Action Plan and the government of British Columbia.
In addition, Columbia Basin Trust committed $425,000 to the overall capital costs of seven sites in the Columbia Basin region for a total of 114 units under the Senior’s Rental Housing (SRH) initiative. Projects are being built in Cranbrook, Kimberley, Creston, Baynes Lake, Golden, Revelstoke and Valemount.
Here are a few views of the units:
