A sneak peek inside the new affordable housing project

Revelstoke's affordable housing project on Oscar Street is almost done and directors of the Community Housing Society eagerly took members of the local news media on a brief tour of the facility on Wednesday, December 16. David F. Rooney photo
Revelstoke’s affordable housing project on Oscar Street is almost done and directors of the Community Housing Society eagerly took members of the local news media on a brief tour of the facility on Wednesday, December 16. David F. Rooney photo

By David F. Rooney
Journalists from The Revelstoke Current, The Mountaineer and The Review were given a sneak peek inside the new affordable living project nearing completion beside the BC Ambulance station on Oscar Street this week.
The Revelstoke Community Housing Society’s (RCHS) 12-unit project is expected to be completed early in the New Year.
Designed by Fairbank Architects Ltd. of Nelson, it is comprised of eight two-bedroom units and four studio-style one-bedroom units. Two of the single units are handicapped-accessible. All units have a fridge, stove, washer and dryer and one parking stall, located in back of the town-house style development, which is being built by BPR Construction Ltd. of Kelowna).
While there were still workers finishing the flooring and other elements of the units, RCHS Director Glen O’Reilly conducted the tour, which was also attended by other society directors — Cathy Girling, Peter Bernacki, Loni Parker and City Councillor Scott Duke — who had not yet had a chance to see the project’s interior living spaces.
The two-bedroom units are not expansive spaces (1,005 square feet) but are adequate for a couple or a couple with one or two small children, while the ground-floor singles are studio-style spaces (618 square feet). That means the living room also doubles as a bedroom. The kitchen areas in all units are small, but with the right kinds of cabinets and food-preparation surfaces should be adequate for most kinds of cooking. The single bathrooms are small and functional with the usual tub-and-shower. There are closets in each unit but there are no basements so the Housing Society is adding small outdoor sheds in the spring. It’s worth noting here that the local news media will be invited back to see the completed interiors sometime in the New Year.
Although the original design for this project included carports, those were scrapped after repeated delays at City Hall during the life of the last Council forced the society to restart the bid process, resulting in higher projected costs. The carports were a casualty of that process.
This project has an overall cost of $3.2 million. $1.5 million of that is being borne by the BC Housing Affordable Rental Housing Initiative in partnership with the Columbia Basin Trust. The RCHS has $890,000 in financing while there are various amounts of equity and what not. (Please click here to see a list of capital funding contributions and the project’s budget.)
So. Who’s going to live here?
The Housing Society is already seeking applications by prospective tenants. (Please click here to find out more information about that.) In short, we can tell you that there are restrictions with regard to tenant eligibility criteria:

  • Annual household income of less than $65,000;
  • Net combined assets of less than $60,000;
  • NO smoking and NO pets; and
  • Preference will be given to Revelstoke residents.

Please click here to see some photos from the media tour:

Mark Johnson (left), who accompanied his friend City Councillor Scott Duke on the media tour, talks with Review Editor Alex Cooper in the living room of one of the project's eight two-bedroom units. Workmen were completing the interior work when the tour was held. They should be done early in the New Year. The housing society is now accepting applications from prospective tenants. David F. Rooney photo
Mark Johnson (left), who accompanied his friend City Councillor Scott Duke on the media tour, talks with Review Editor Alex Cooper in the living room of one of the project’s eight two-bedroom units. Workmen were completing the interior work when the tour was held. They should be done early in the New Year. The housing society is now accepting applications from prospective tenants. David F. Rooney photo

Housing Society Director Glen O'Reilly points out the kitchen area of the two-bedroom unit. All units come with a dishwasher, stove, refrigerator and a washer, and dryer. David F. Rooney photo
Housing Society Director Glen O’Reilly points out the kitchen area of the two-bedroom unit. All units come with a dishwasher, stove, refrigerator and a washer, and dryer. David F. Rooney photo

Johnson poses in the master bedroom of the two-bedroom unit. There's no en-suite — in fact, each unit has only one bathroom — but there appears to be lots of closet space. David F. Rooney photo
Johnson poses in the master bedroom of the two-bedroom unit. There’s no en-suite — in fact, each unit has only one bathroom — but there appears to be lots of closet space. David F. Rooney photo

Builder Peter Bernacki, who is also a director of the housing society, thought the bathrooms were well made. David F. Rooney photo
Builder Peter Bernacki, who is also a director of the housing society, thought the bathrooms were well made. David F. Rooney photo

Deb Wozniak, who administers the society's official work, catches up with O'Reilly and Revelstoke Mountaineer Creative Director Aaron Orlando. in the back of the development. Each unit has a single parking space in back of the project. Small garden sheds will be installed next year. And, in the spring, the development will be fully landscaped. David F. Rooney photo
Deb Wozniak, who administers the society’s official work, catches up with O’Reilly and Revelstoke Mountaineer Creative Director Aaron Orlando. in the back of the development. Each unit has a single parking space in back of the project. Small garden sheds will be installed next year. And, in the spring, the development will be fully landscaped. David F. Rooney photo

Housing Society Directors Loni Parker (left) and Cathy Girling chat in the living room of one of th projects singe unit. David F. Rooney photo
Housing Society Directors Loni Parker (left) and Cathy Girling chat in the living room of one of th projects singe unit. David F. Rooney photo