Homes Opening For Seniors, People Living With Disabilities In Comox

Seniors and people living with disabilities in Comox are moving into 52 new affordable and accessible rental homes with the opening of Cypress Gardens.

“The north Island is not immune to the housing crisis and Cypress Gardens will give seniors and people who need accessible housing in the Comox Valley a safe and affordable place to live and age in place,” said Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Housing.

“Our government shares the community’s excitement in seeing the building open and will continue to work with our partners to support the housing needs for seniors and people living with disabilities throughout B.C.”

Located on Balmoral Avenue, the new three-storey building is owned and operated by the Comox Valley Affordable Housing Society. The one-bedroom units are for seniors 60 and older, and people of all ages living with disabilities.

The building replaces a 16-unit townhouse complex owned by the Society, which was reaching the end of its lifespan, and more than triples the number of affordable housing units on the site.

Cypress Gardens was designed to meet the needs of people with various disabilities that might affect mobility, vision, and hearing. Twelve of the units are wheelchair accessible.

The remaining are adaptable, meaning they have been designed to easily accommodate future renovations to improve accessibility.

Ann Janssen, executive director, CVAHS, says the building shows that with a bit of pre-planning, affordable housing can be made accessible to everyone.

The building features a large community room, an on-site office, and a laundry facility on each floor. It is located close to downtown Comox, providing easy access to nearby shopping, medical care, and recreational facilities.

Rent for half the units will be geared to income, where rent is 30% of the tenant’s income.

The Province, through BC Housing, provided approximately $5.2 million to the project through the Building BC: Community Housing Fund and will provide approximately $161,000 in annual operating funding.

CVAHS provided $1.84 million in equity as well as the land, which was valued at $890,000 at the time of purchase.

To learn more, visit Government of British Columbia.