Some Riverview Hospital land should be dedicated for the creation of new rental and subsidized housing, says the co-chair of the Tri-Cities Homelessness Task Group.
Sandy Burpee told The Tri-City News on Tuesday that he would like the area to maintain its focus on mental health and addiction services but said some housing and commercial components are necessary to create a complete community.
“Current best practices in mental health care is through integrated and diverse communities, not isolated enclaves,” he said in a presentation to Coquitlam council on Monday.
“Market rents can subsidize below-market rents. At the same time, they can help create a diverse and mixed community.”
Burpee was careful to stress, however, that he is against the privatization of the property.
Instead, he favours community land trusts, which would see the grounds remain in public hands, with parcels leased to not-for-profit housing providers. He even envisions a commercial component that he said would provide jobs and services to residents, creating a complete community.
“We have such a critical lack of affordable rental housing,” Burpee told The Tri-City News Tuesday. “If you look at the affordable housing that has been built in the last number of years — Como Lake Gardens, 3030 Gordon — the one key is that they always start with land being available at no cost.”
The concept of a community land trust is not new to Metro Vancouver. In 2014, the city of Vancouver launched the Vancouver Community Land Trust Foundation, which has entered into 99-year lease agreements with non-profit housing providers for three properties.
But putting any kind of residential development on the Riverview grounds is an idea opposed by several members of Coquitlam council.
Mayor Richard Stewart, who has called for a new hospital along with a mental health and wellness campus on the site, said he is against having residential and commercial enterprises on the lands.
Coun. Mae Reid echoed his sentiments during Monday’s committee meeting, noting the federal government should bring back programs that encourage developers to construct purpose-built rental buildings.
Burpee acknowledges that his vision is at odds with many interest groups that are against any commercial or residential development on the lands. But he told The News that he is open to working with other groups to find some kind of consensus for the future of the property.
“At the end of the day, everyone would give up something but they would receive something as well,” he said. “I would love to see that process happening.”
@gmckennaTC
