Stages of the Denman Green development process…
Land Agreement
February 26, 2021 – Denman Housing Association signed an Agreement with Henning Nielsen (Pandesign) to obtain title to a 1.05ha parcel at 1151 Northwest Road, on the condition that Islands Trust amend the Denman Island Official Community Plan and Land Use Bylaws thereby rezoning other property owned by Pandesign, transferring three densities to that property and rezoning the 1151 parcel to permit the construction of 20 units of affordable housing
Rezoning
March 2021 to February 7, 2023 – Denman Housing Association and Pandesign made applications to amend the Denman OCP & LUB initiating a lengthy process that included proving adequate, potable water; preliminary wastewater design, delineating the wetland that was found to exist, applying to the (now) Ministry of Forests for a Water License, and working with Island Health to establish reasonable litres/per person/per day water consumption figures. At the same time a Housing Agreement was written and agreed with the Trust and all draft bylaws received approval by the Trust Executive Committee. Bylaw amendments were referred to First Nations, relevant Ministries and agencies; a Public Hearing took place and finally, Denman Island Local Trust Committee adopted all Bylaws
Title
February 28, 2023 – Denman Housing Association received title to 1151 Northwest establishing a home for the first multi-family, affordable housing site on Denman Island
Design Development
September 2022 to April 2023 – This involves no less than an architect and 15 professional engineers and consultants. Design Development was 50% complete at a cost of approximately $80,000. Pre-development funding has been gratefully received from BC Housing, Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), Denman WORKS! Economic Enhancement Society and from individuals on Denman Island. As of end February 2023 there remains more design work to be done and a significant shortfall in funding with which to do it.
Construction Documents
April 2023 to June 2023 – These documents build on the design development phase work and are used to provide sufficient information for accurate construction cost estimating, for contractors to bid on the construction work and ultimately all of the detail necessary for the construction to commence. They will also include an operational plan and be used as the basis for application for construction financing from BC Housing, CMHC, FCM and others.
Operational Plan
April to June 2023 – In parallel to the completion of the construction documents an operational plan will be developed that addresses the ongoing management of the Denman Green project, including budgeting, tenant selection, and maintenance and renewals planning for the complex.
Construction Financing
September 2023 – It is anticipated that a request for proposal will be issued by BC Housing sometime later in 2023. Denman Housing Association plans to be ready to respond with a detailed application for construction financing. A similar request will be made to CMHC, FCM and possibly others.
BC Housing Project Review
January 2024 – The project will be reviewed based on BC Housing’s Guidelines and detailed analysis of the proposed project. Recommendations will be provided to the project to align with BCH requirements with respect to design, budget, schedule, legal structures, procurement strategy etc
Provisional Project Approval (FPA)
April 2024 – BC Housing provides project concept and estimated capital and operating budget approval. Conditions that are required to be met for final project approval will be established at this stage.
Final Project Approval (FPA)
September 2024 – Conditions set out at PPA have been met. BC Housing approves the final capital and operating budgets.
Bidding:
October 2024 – Construction costs are confirmed through a competitive procurement process. All jurisdictional approvals are in place. Denman Housing Association executes documents to secure funding and begin construction.
Construction:
January 2025 to March 2026 – Construction takes place including all required inspections, testing and quality assurance tasks.
Tenant Selection:
April 2026 – Prospective tenants who have qualified to be on the BC Housing Registry will be selected for interview, following the criteria detailed in Schedule ‘B’ of the DHA Housing Agreement with Islands Trust. Interviews will be conducted by an independent committee of Denman residents and tenants selected based on evaluated need
Moving In:
May 2026 – The first tenants move into Denman Green and the community vision for affordable housing on Denman Island is realized!