Image: Mike Vanden Bosch / Pattison Media / A public hearing has been set for Tuesday, November 21 for Chilliwack city council to consider a proposal that would see Cheam View United Church in downtown Chilliwack redeveloped into a six-storey housing project serving Indigenous people. The building would be redeveloped into 64 housing units at 45835 Spadina Avenue, across from the Chilliwack Museum. 

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Redevelopment of Chilliwack church

Downtown Chilliwack housing project moves forward

Nov 8, 2023 | 9:57 AM

CHILLIWACK — A public hearing has been set for Tuesday, November 21 for Chilliwack city council to consider a proposal that would see Cheam View United Church in downtown Chilliwack redeveloped into a six-storey housing project serving Indigenous people.

According to a staff report from senior planner Stacy Johnson of the City of Chilliwack, Mamele’awt Qweesome/To’o Housing Society (MQHS) and Cheam View United Church have partnered together for this proposal to provide affordable housing and support services, primarily for Indigenous people in the Fraser Valley.

Since this story was published, the chair of the housing project team has come forward to clarify with another news outlet in Chilliwack, Fraser Valley News Network, that this is not necessarily an Indigenous housing project.

It is not known why the staff report from the City of Chilliwack indicated that housing and support services would primarily serve Indigenous people from the Fraser Valley.

The applicant behind the housing project requests to amend the text of the R9 (affordable rental housing) zone to include a club or lodge as a permitted use and address site specific off-street parking requirements for the subject property, and to rezone the property from a C3 (town centre commercial) zone to an R9 (affordable rental housing) zone to facilitate the construction of a new 6-storey mixed-use building within the subject property at 45835 Spadina Avenue.

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Once the bylaw has been to a public hearing scheduled for Nov. 21, staff recommend that Chilliwack city council hold the application at third reading pending the registration of a housing agreement and approval of an application for a site specific exemption from the floodplain regulation bylaw.

The building will feature a first storey split into an indoor common amenity area with an outdoor patio and space for club or lodge uses. The upper storeys will contain 64 residential units including 20 affordable market rental units, 33 rent geared to income units and 11 deep subsidy units, and an outdoor amenity area. The main entrance to the club or lodge will be accessible from Spadina Avenue, while the main residential entry will be on Main Street. The L-shaped building design for the second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth storeys will front both Spadina and Main.

During Tuesday’s council meeting, Councillor Bud Mercer asked to clarify what kind of usage would be permitted in the proposed club or lodge inside the building. He referenced a drop-in centre just off Young Road in Chilliwack and wondered if the proposed club or lodge would turn into a drop-in centre.

Erin Leary, manager of development planning for the City of Chilliwack, advised Councillor Mercer it would include organizations like Scouts or Alcoholics Anonymous. She clarified that the United Church would not be providing religious services on site, and the club or lodge would be limited to a fraternal society or non-profit offering services on site. However, Cheam View United Church does support the concept of a club or lodge so that groups like Mount Cheam Lions Club and Inner City Mission can continue offering outreach services.

Current building plans call for 47 surface parking stalls within two separate areas accessible through two separate entrances, sufficient bike parking, EV charging stations, landscaping and a rooftop patio with planter boxes.

There appears to be a possible discrepancy between the 64 housing units listed in the city staff report and the 74 housing units previously stated by B.C. Housing and two Chilliwack MLAs. Fraser Valley Today has since learned that a city committee reduced the number of units from 74 to 64.

B.C. Housing spokesperson Tim Chamberlin wrote in an email to Fraser Valley Today in late September 2023 that the provincial Crown agency has been working with the Mamele’awt Qweesome Housing Society to deliver an affordable rental housing project at 45835 Spadina Ave., property owned by the Cheam View United Church. The project, a proposed 74-unit, six-storey building for low- and moderate-income families, seniors and people with mobility challenges, was previously approved under the January 2021 Community Housing Fund funding call, Chamberlin pointed out.

Back in June 2021, Chilliwack MLAs Kelli Paddon and Dan Coulter touted the advent of 74 units of subsidized housing that were supposed to be coming to Chilliwack.

“These 74 new homes will ensure that as Chilliwack continues to grow, there will be affordable options for seniors and folks with mobility challenges,” Coulter said in a June 2021 news release. “As a person with a physical disability, I know how important it is to fund housing projects like this that meet specific needs. I’m looking forward to seeing this project come to life.”

Paddon was equally elated for the housing announcement.

“Mamele’awt Qweesome & To’o Housing Society have been providing services in the Fraser Valley for over 30 years,” Paddon said in a June 2021 news release. “It’s always a bonus when we can partner with community leaders, and these new units will help eliminate some of the barriers that seniors and people with mobility challenges face when trying to access affordable housing.”

BC Housing spokesperson Tim Chamberlin says the project team is working through the required project development process with the City of Chilliwack, including finalizing the building design. The rezoning and development permit applications have been submitted to the city. The site also requires completion of an environmental assessment because it previously housed an auto repair shop.

“BC Housing will communicate the construction timelines to the community once known,” Chamberlin said.