A rendering of the proposed 37-unit affordable rental housing project for seniors in Chase (Image credit: Village of Chase).

By Aaron Schulze

Chase Seniors Housing Project

Sports or seniors: Chase council to decide on 37-unit rental building for seniors next to Art Holding Memorial Arena

Oct 28, 2024 | 12:11 PM

CHASE, B.C. — A proposed 37-unit rental housing project for lower-income seniors has residents in the Village of Chase questioning the use of the slated piece of land.

Chase council will decide on whether the property at 221 Shepherd Rd. – located next to Art Holding Memorial Arena – will be rezoned from recreational to residential to allow an affordable rental building for seniors. The project would be funded by BC Housing while Oncore Seniors Society would operate the building.

According to Joni Heinrich, the village’s chief administrative officer, the property that includes 221 Shepherd Rd. was originally purchased by a resident for $15,000 who then sold it back to the Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) for the same price. The man stipulated that he wanted the land used for recreational purposes and a covenant was put in place. Art Holding Memorial was eventually built in 1999.

“Over time, things have changed, and it’s very unlikely that we would ever be able to build a swimming pool on the property because there’s just not really an appetite for the taxpayers to spend a huge amount of money for that,” Heinrich told CFJC Today. “We expect to have some expansion of the arena at some point… for changing rooms. The decision was made probably four years ago by the then-village council that a portion of the land would be suitable for this type of development.”

Heinrich says the TNRD agreed to remove the covenant from the property so the seniors housing project could go through. Once the building at 221 Shepherd Rd. is complete, she says the covenant would be placed on the remaining property to ensure it’s for recreation.

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A public information session regarding the proposed seniors housing project was held on Thursday, Oct. 24, at the Chase Community Hall. One of the attendees was Kim Campbell – who moved to Chase nine years ago and spent nearly 30 years in Pritchard. He believes the property at 221 Shepherd Rd. should remain allocated for recreational use while the seniors housing project should be moved elsewhere.

“I would like to see a nice rec centre with a pool there, right beside our arena. Keep all the recreation in one place,” Campbell told CFJC Today. “Keep all the seniors housing complexes together where they are presently. It’s close to the ambulance services, doctor’s offices, health clinic and downtown. There are better locations. Wilson Park would be a great place because the senior housing is all borderline on to the park.”

Heinrich says there was a piece of land owned by the village that was closer to the medical clinic and downtown core that was considered. However, she says council and staff decided it was not as suitable due to being near the creek.

Heinrich notes there are multiple seniors in Chase who don’t live close to local medical facilities but still have access to them.

“This particular housing is not going to be something for people who need immediate medical assistance,” she says. “This is rental housing for older folks who can’t afford rental housing in the regular market. They are going to be able to have vehicles — there is parking. In Chase, most of the area is pretty flat and easy to walk around.”

Heinrich believes Thursday’s public information session with Oncore Seniors Society left residents feeling more comfortable about the project but notes that not all residents will be happy.

Campbell feels his concerns weren’t heard during the public information session, saying that there was no representation from BC Housing. He believes communication of the project was neglected by mayor and council.

“A referendum should be held on this,” he says. “We should all get to vote on it. Not behind our backs in council meetings that they make all these decisions without involving any of the public.”

Council is expected to read the zoning amendment bylaw for a third time and decide whether the project will go through sometime in late November.