Little Mountain developer seeks Vancouver permit for more long-awaited social housing

A rendering of the proposed social housing building is shown. (shapeyourcity.ca)

The developer of the long-vacant Little Mountain property near Vancouver's Queen Elizabeth Park has applied for a development permit to construct more of the social housing units promised in a 2021 memorandum of understanding with the province.

Holborn Properties Ltd. has applied to build a six-storey building with 49 social housing units at 137 E. 37th Ave., at the southern end of its Little Mountain property.

The city is currently accepting public comments on the project on its Shape Your City website. 

The plans call for 16 two-bedroom, 22 three-bedroom and 11 four-bedroom units in the roughly 54,000-square-foot building.

'A SWEETHEART DEAL'

Holborn has owned the Little Mountain site since 2008, when it acquired the land from the province for $334 million – a purchase price that was revealed last year to have included a $211 million loan from the province that is interest free through the end of 2026.

When the loan deal was revealed, former MLA David Chudnovsky called it "a sweetheart deal" for the developer. 

Even before the terms of the agreement were known, Vancouver residents and officials with the provincial NDP government were skeptical of the deal, which was negotiated under BC Liberal Premier Gordon Campbell.

In 2020, then-Housing Minister Selina Robinson said only $40 million of the total purchase price had been paid to the province, reflecting a deal she said "stinks." 

PROGRESS BEING MADE

When Holborn bought the 15-acre parcel, hundreds of low-income families were evicted from the social housing units that had previously stood on the site.

The developer promised those residents homes in the 234 social housing units it promised to build. Over more than a decade, however, precious little housing was actually built on the site.

As of September 2021, only a 53-unit rental project for seniors and people with disabilities had been completed, with a 62-unit project for families and seniors scheduled for completion this year.

The site was also used for temporary modular housing operated by the Vancouver Affordable Housing Agency, though that building has since been removed. 

A memorandum of understanding between the province and Holborn signed in September 2021 calls for the developer to finish all non-market housing on the site – a revised total of 282 units – by Dec. 31, 2024.

When announcing the MOU last year, then-Housing Minister David Eby was deeply critical of the previous Liberal government, but stopped short of criticizing Holborn, calling the developer's willingness to drop its court action and make the contract public a "good-faith gesture" that allowed for the new agreement to move forward. 

Holborn's original plan for the site included roughly 1,600 condos in several buildings, which would be developed alongside the social housing units.

The site is also expected to include a daycare facility, a neighbourhood house and a public park. BC Housing will own 234 of the social housing units, and the remaining 48 will be owned by the City of Vancouver.

The location of the site is seen in this image from Holborn's application documents. (Holborn Properties Ltd.)

The development permit application is open for online comments through Nov. 4. The application is subject to approval from city council and Vancouver's director of planning.

With files from CTV News Vancouver's St. John Alexander, Penny Daflos and Kendra Mangione