Image: Mike Vanden Bosch / Pattison Media / Restorative Cycle, a non-profit cycling shop that opened inside a downtown Chilliwack church in September 2023 with a goal of providing discounted bikes to Chilliwack families and individuals in need, could be looking at relocating sooner than expected. The church where Restorative Cycle is located, Cheam View United Church, will be redeveloped into a multi-storey housing complex.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Restorative Cycle bike shop

Downtown Chilliwack bike shop needs a new home as housing project moves forward

Feb 5, 2024 | 10:43 AM

CHILLIWACK — A non-profit cycling shop that opened inside a downtown Chilliwack church in September 2023 with a goal of providing discounted bikes to Chilliwack families and individuals in need could be looking at relocating sooner than expected.

Steve Roukema, executive director of Chilliwack Restorative Justice, says Cheam View United Church (45835 Spadina Avenue) generously opened its doors to his organization that creates opportunities to repair harm and prevent crime in Chilliwack and the Upper Fraser Valley region. The church has been charging Restorative Cycle only $100 a month in rent.

However, with the advent of a six-storey, 64-unit housing project moving through the regulatory process, Restorative Cycle could be moving sooner than expected. The redevelopment of the church is a partnership between Cheam View United Church and Mamele’awt Qweesome Housing Society, one that will bring much needed affordable housing options for community members who are struggling to meet their housing needs.

Roukema says Restorative Cycle knew from the beginning that their location on the Main Street side of the church was not a permanent one.

“When we moved in, we were told that it would be a temporary location, so I have always been on the lookout for a potential move,” Roukema wrote in an email to Fraser Valley Today. “No potentials yet.”

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The donated location space from Cheam View United Church has provided Restorative Cycle with almost 2,000 square feet to store, repair, and sell bikes, Roukema said in 2023. As of September 2023, an average of 10 bikes had been donated to Chilliwack Restorative Justice every month from the RCMP detachment. Other bikes are donated through the City of Chilliwack, residents, and local businesses. Proceeds go towards Restorative Cycle and restorative justice work in the community.

Roukema says he has been advised by the landlord that “destructive testing” will occur on Wednesday, February 14, with no guarantee of suitability.

“We have a couple of possibilities for relocation but do not have the funds available since we only opened September 9 (2023),” he said, adding that he hopes to secure some kind of funding to assist with relocation.

The store has been offering a number of services to the community and supplementing the bike auctions that Chilliwack Restorative Justice has been doing for over a decade through both in-person and online auctions.

“The impact with low-income families, schools, and those involved in crime has been substantial,” Roukema said.

Roukema hopes to have a new location in place, supported with funding, by summer 2024.

“Having at least one full spring since we opened in September 2023 will be beneficial to building our reputation and sales revenue to sustain operations and donations to the community,” Roukema said.

by Mike Vanden Bosch

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Downtown Chilliwack bike shop needs a new home as housing project moves forward

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