94 seniors' housing units proposed for Killarney in Vancouver | Daily Hive

Artistic rendering of the new Kopernik Apartments at 3132-3150 Rosemont Drive, Vancouver. (Boni Maddison Architects/M. Kopernik (Nicolaus Copernicus) Foundation)

Big changes could be coming near the southeast corner of the intersection of Kerr Street and Rosemont Drive in Vancouver’s Killarney neighbourhood.

The M. Kopernik (Nicolaus Copernicus) Foundation is proposing to redevelop its 1972-built, two-storey Kopernik Apartments at 3132-3150 Rosemont Drive into a new six-storey, L-shaped building with affordable rental homes for seniors primarily in the Polish community.

The foundation says it needs to redevelop both the Kopernik Apartments and Lodge on the site due to their age and poor condition, starting with the Apartments section. The site is located just north of Fraserview Golf Course and Everett Crowley Park.

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This will not only be a replacement of the existing 33 independent living units, but an expansion that nearly triples the number of homes — reaching a total of 94 units that are technically deemed “social housing” by the municipal government. The unit size mix is 93 one-bedroom units and one studio unit.

3132-3150 Rosemont Drive Vancouver Kopernik Apartments

Site of the existing Kopernik Apartments at 3132-3150 Rosemont Drive, Vancouver. (Google Maps)

“Since its inception, Kopernik Lodge and Apartments have welcomed hundreds of residents from all corners of the world, of all races and faiths. As a not-for-profit organization, the Society’s sole motivation is helping elderly and/or disabled people with low and moderate incomes to find affordable homes in a caring and respectful environment,” reads the application.

“While the Society is proud to preserve and foster Polish cultural heritage, it remains committed to treating everyone with the utmost respect and dignity. In order to continue its mission, the Society pressingly needs a new building and respectfully requests the City of Vancouver’s favourable response to this application.”

Artistic rendering of the new Kopernik Apartments at 3132-3150 Rosemont Drive, Vancouver. (Boni Maddison Architects/M. Kopernik (Nicolaus Copernicus) Foundation)

The total floor area will reach 67,000 sq ft, providing a floor area ratio density of a floor area that is 2.2 times larger than the size of the lot. A single underground level will accommodate 42 vehicle parking stalls and 77 bike parking spaces. Boni Maddison Architects is the design firm.

For the time being, the two-storey Lodge care facility on the east side of the lot will be retained, but it will eventually be replaced as well.

A wide range of new additional housing supply is needed in BC. Over the next two decades, BC’s population of seniors over the age of 75 is projected to more than double.

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