Metro Vancouver, through its non-profit Metro Vancouver Housing, in partnership with the province, through BC Housing, and the City of Burnaby, has started construction on two family-oriented, non-market rental housing projects.
“Metro Vancouver Housing is one of the largest non-profit housing providers in the region, and I’m extremely proud of the work that we’re doing to help address the housing crisis and keep this region livable for current and future residents,” said Metro Vancouver board chair Mike Hurley. “Metro Vancouver Housing is a trusted housing provider that has demonstrated that it can deliver and operate high-quality homes for people of different ages, abilities, and income levels.”
The Steller, centrally located in the Edmonds Town Centre neighbourhood, will help address the critical need for non-market rental housing and affordable child care in Burnaby by providing 122 new homes for families and individuals. The Connection, which is located at 7786 & 7792 6th Street, will replace 30 aging townhouses with 174 apartments. Both projects will include new child care spaces.
Construction on the two rental housing projects is expected to be completed in 2027.
The City of Burnaby will lease, at a nominal rate, a city-owned lot at 7388 Southwynde Avenue to Metro Vancouver Housing so that The Steller can be built. The city has also supported the projects through streamlining development approvals and has provided an $8.3-million grant for The Steller and just over $12 million for The Connection to help offset development charges and fees and provide deeper affordability.
“The City of Burnaby is proud to partner on projects like this that deliver the housing our community needs,” said Burnaby city councillor Pietro Calendino. “These two projects will fill important gaps and as a city we are continuously seeking ways to make it easier to get these types of projects built.”
All homes at The Steller and The Connection will provide much-needed non-market housing, with rents set to serve a range of low- to moderate-income households. About half of the units will be family-oriented two- or three-bedroom homes, and all units will be accessible or meet universal design standards to support people with disabilities and seniors.
In April 2023, the province, through BC Housing, signed a memorandum of understanding with Metro Vancouver, through Metro Vancouver Housing, that will see approximately 2,000 below-market homes built over the next 10 years. The first phase is underway and will provide approximately 500 new homes on four sites supported by a provincial investment of $120 million. As part of this phase, nearly $30 million will be allocated to The Steller and almost $42 million to The Connection.
