The focus will be narrowed in the next round of the visioning process for the Riverview Hospital lands in Coquitlam.
This week and next, BC Housing will host its second set of open houses, with the theme "creating goals."
CEO Shayne Ramsay told The Tri-City News on Tuesday that BC Housing will share its feedback from the first open houses held in February and March, when a majority of participants indicated they want to see some of the 244 acres saved for a wellness centre for people with mental illnesses.
The provincial agency also collected comments online via renewingriverview.com and, this month, it heard from Vancouver residents who stopped at a pop-up kiosk in Woodward's on the Downtown Eastside.
Ramsay said BC Housing will meet with Fraser Health, Coastal Health, Provincial Health Services and Coast Mental Health about a possible continuum of care at Riverview.
Besides a mental-health hub, Ramsay said respondents have set as priorities the preservation of open spaces and trees on the 102-year-old site as well as the historical significance of the buildings.
In March, the city's Riverview Lands Advisory Committee voiced concern about the lack of information in the provincial government's building condition study. Ramsay said officials at the next open houses will provide more details about the structures and the bill to restore them.
"We want to be clear and transparent about what the next steps are going to be with respect to looking at some of the costs to preserving some of those buildings," Ramsay said.
The drop-in Riverview open houses will be held Saturday, May 24 from 2 to 6 p.m. at Dogwood Pavilion (624 Poirier St., Coquitlam) and Wednesday, May 28 from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Kyle Centre (125 Kyle St., Port Moody). More open houses are slated for September and December.
