This stretch of vacant lots in the 400-block of Tranquille Road in North Kamloops will be the site of ICS's affordable housing building.

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A six-storey building featuring 44 units of affordable housing will be built on vacant lots on Tranquille Road in North Kamloops.

The lots are at 400, 404 and 410 Tranquille Rd.

The 44 units of affordable rental housing will be above a main floor of commercial office space. The design includes a mix of one-, two- and three-bedrooms units, as well as several accessible units.

“ICS clearly sees the need and value of affordable housing now more than ever,” ICS CEO Kelly Kelland said. “We are excited this project will be able to provide safe, affordable homes for seniors, families with low to moderate incomes and individuals with diverse abilities and simultaneously help our community recover from the pandemic.”

Kelland said the units will be for rent, with subsidies through BC Housing, with which ICS has partnered to construct the building.

She said there’s a provincial housing list the ICS housing department will examine to help determine who is eligible to move in, noting the occupancy rate in Kamloops is low.

“It’s based on need,” Kelland said, adding that a diverse population of families and seniors will be placed in the building.

In July of 2018, Interior Community Services was awarded $4 million in funding through the province’s Building BC: Community Housing Fund to plan the project.

Kelland said that while the project has faced challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, design plans and budgets are now being reviewed and construction is expected to begin in late 2022 or early 2023.

ICS is a multi-service agency that has provided support and affordable housing to youth, individuals with diverse abilities, seniors and families for over 50 years. ICS manages more than 350 units of housing in various communities in B.C., including Kamloops, 100 Mile House and Chase.

The ground-floor business will be ICS itself, as it will move its administrative office, which is now at 765 Tranquille Rd. into the new build, which is next door to the organization’s programming and outreach services building.

“I think when you consolidate, you create some efficiencies,” Kelland said.

It’s the first-ever build for ICS and the construction budget has jumped to about $17 million from an original $13 million in 2018, Kelland said, noting the price of lumber has skyrocketed.

ICS is providing the land for the project, while BC Housing is shouldering construction costs, though ICS is also exploring a couple of other grants to help with funding.

“We would always take donations or added partners or things in-kind,” Kelland said.

ICS is in the process of obtaining building permits and is projecting the building will be ready for occupancy in late 2024.

“That depends on a whole bunch off factors around pandemic, supply, costs — all those things,” Kelland said.

The organization will also manage the building once it comes to fruition.

“I think it’s great for the corridor of Tranquille Road, it’s going to be a beautiful building,” she said.

North Shore Business Improvement Association executive director Jeremy Heighton said the his organization is pleased to see the project moving forward.

“It is aimed at a significantly underserved segment of our housing community, which is low-income families and seniors, really creating the ability to bring some good folks who are trying to find housing options into our corridor,” Heighton said.

He said community development through densification provides more opportunities for businesses to thrive.

“The project is a very positive step forward for that entire area and it will be mirrored by other projects being planned for the area as well,” Heighton said.

Tranquille Road is in a state of transformation as many housing projects are in the works along the corridor.

A 40-unit affordable housing complex is being built at 501 Tranquille Rd., a 44-unit apartment building north of that is expected to replace the former Salvation Army building and another version of The Station complex at the corner of Tranquille and Clapperton is in the permitting process.

Also, A Way Home Kamloops is building a 39-unit complex for youth on vacant lots 560 and 562 Tranquille Rd., while Kamloops Immigrant Services has plans to build a five-storey, 30-unit apartment complex for immigrants, refugees and permanent residents at 448 Tranquille Rd.

Heighton said the projects in the works will help create a robust variety of housing options on the North Shore.

— This story was originally published by Kamloops This Week.

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