The City of Nanaimo has gotten a first look at plans for a complex care facility to be constructed on the edge of Green Rock Industrial Park.
The proposal from Ryder Architecture was presented to the city's design advisory panel Thursday, April 24, showing a three-storey, 22-unit project at 1850 Boxwood Rd. between Dufferin Crescent and Madsen Road on a lot that has been vacant since it was created in 2018.
The project is a partnership between B.C. Housing, the Ministry of Health, and Island Health, to offer enhanced support to people at risk of experiencing homelessness and is considered a personal care facility in the City of Nanaimo’s zoning bylaws. Caleb Horn, planner with the City of Nanaimo, told the panel that there is a concurrent re-zoning application to add ‘personal care facility’ as a site-specific use to the property.
The project property is separated from a neighbouring townhouse development by a pedestrian pathway that connects Boxwood Road to a commercial plaza.
The proposed building design, according to a city staff report, is residential with a row house aesthetic defined by gable roofs and alternating cladding. The 22 studio units will range in size from 355-506 square feet.
“It’s a housing typology that’s aimed at providing individuals with increased or significant mental health and substance abuse complexities,” said Kevan Tacq, Ryder Architecture senior designer. “So we’re looking to provide safe and stable housing for these residents who are often also, at times, experiencing homelessness or are at risk of homelessness … The provincial government has identified this as part of their homeless strategy and and it’s a under-represented population that’s being under-served presently.”
Tacq said the project’s goals include health and well-being, livability, healing, connection to nature, community-building within and outside the residence, energy efficiency, accessibility and adaptability.
Annabelle Blyton, architect, said the building was shaped and angled to maximize sunlight penetration into a courtyard, included in the design, and minimize height and shadowing impact on neighbouring properties.
“By proposing gable roof forms, to create a hometown appearance, that breaks down the form to a human scale and creates a home-like feel for the tenants,” Blyton said.
She said the interior layouts are designed to create a home-like environment, foster community engagement and control access control with one entrance for staff to greet and provide access to visitors. Residential wings will be grouped in clusters of five units.
"Being part of a small community like this can provide tenants with a sense of security, identity and an internal support system," she said.
Design panel members supported moving the project along to the next stage of the development application process.
