Vancouver City Council could look to churches for housing projects

Vancouver City Council to explore supporting churches in achieving housing redevelopments

Previous 2017 concept for the office tower addition to Holy Rosary Cathedral in downtown Vancouver. (Oberto Oberti Architecture )

Over the past decade, an increasing number of churches and other faith-based religious groups in Vancouver have been engaging in mixed-use redevelopment of their properties to renew aging church spaces and create new housing.

In these developments on church lots, new religious and community spaces are generally built within the lower levels of mixed-use buildings, while the upper levels are dedicated to residential uses, often including secured, purpose-built market rental housing

The market housing helps cover the costs of the development and the congregation’s renewed space, and increasingly, an affordable housing component is also included. In most instances, churches work with a private developer and/or non-profit housing organization to achieve their redevelopment goals.

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Next week, Vancouver City Council is expected to approve a member motion by ABC city councillor Rebecca Bligh directing City staff to report back on providing new resources and guidance support to such faith-based religious organizations, including the possibility of potential policy and regulatory changes to help achieve affordable housing on such properties, and working with the provincial and federal governments.

According to Bligh, while many of these religious organizations and groups own significant properties suitable for redevelopment, they lack the specific knowledge to pursue such projects.

Central Presbyterian Church Vancouver Thurlow Street

Renewal of Vancouver’s Central Presbyterian Church’s facilities through its redevelopment into a 22-storey, mixed-use rental housing tower, with the new congregation space located within the lower levels. (Henriquez Partners Architects)

“There is an increasing interest among faith-based communities to redevelop their properties and to utilize their spaces and lands for broader social purposes beyond traditional worship, reflecting a mission-based commitment to community welfare, reconciliation, and achieving greater social impact,” she wrote.

“There is a clear, mutually advantageous opportunity for the City to collaborate more closely with faith-based groups, specifically to explore innovative solutions for the redevelopment and optimal use of their land resources for greater social impacts, such as enhanced community services, providing affordable housing, and meeting other social impact objectives.”

One prominent example of a church collaborating with a private developer to renew and expand its facilities is First Baptist Church’s partnership with Westbank to achieve The Butterfly condominium tower in downtown Vancouver. In exchange for rezoning approval of The Butterfly, which is now built on the church’s former parking lot, Westbank committed to provide $96 million in community amenity contributions (CACs), including at least $25 million from the in-kind value of renovation and restoration of the 1911-built church.

Near The Butterfly, construction reached completion in 2018 on the redevelopment of Central Presbyterian Church on Thurlow Street into a 22-storey rental housing tower, with replacement congregation space within the lower level and 213 secured purpose-built rental homes — including 168 market rental units and 45 below-market rental units — within the upper levels. This was a partnership with Bosa Properties.

Artistic rendering of the new indoor galleria of First Baptist Church, as part of The Butterfly project. (Revery Architecture)

998 East 19th Avenue Vancouver First Church of the Nazarene

Artistic rendering of the redevelopment of the Vancouver First Church of the Nazarene at 998 East 9th Avenue, Vancouver. (MOTIV Architects)

Earlier this year, the Vancouver First Church of the Nazarene revealed its proposal to redevelop its 1948-built church property into a new six-storey, mixed-use building with 105 secured purpose-built rental homes — including 74 market rental units and 31 below-market rental units — and 12,000 sq ft of replacement church and multi-purpose community space for the congregation. They are partnering with non-profit housing operator Catalyst Community Developments Society.

Several recent mixed-use residential developments within the City’s Cambie Corridor Plan were also achieved on aging church properties with deferred maintenance.

And in 2022, United Church of Canada announced as many as 34,000 people could be housed in their church properties across the country through mixed-use redevelopments over 15 years.

As another unique example, prior to the pandemic, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver considered adding an 18-storey office tower to its 1900-built Holy Rosary Cathedral in downtown Vancouver. This would provide the revenue needed to fund much-needed historic church rehabilitation work and seismic upgrades.

Previous 2017 concept for the office tower addition to Holy Rosary Cathedral in downtown Vancouver. (Oberto Oberti Architecture )

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