About 50 islanders turned out Saturday afternoon to hear more about Island Women Against Violence’s plans for expanding housing options at Croftonbrook.
IWAV’s housing director Kisae Petersen, project development consultant Janis Gauthier and design consultant Donald Gunn presented comprehensive aspects of the project before offering a question and answer period to the crowd. The project will meet a range of rental needs from shelter rates for the homeless and vulnerable sector to varying rents for people of low to moderate incomes.
“IWAV understands that safe and affordable housing is the foundation for a healthy life,” said executive director Dana Peace, who opened the meeting.
Peace explained IWAV operates three types of housing to support that goal, with transitional housing for women leaving abusive relationships at the Transition House, longer-term second-stage housing at The Cedars, and housing for low-income seniors and people with disabilities at Croftonbrook.
As the project leads explained, the proposed development will come in two phases, with Phase One adding to 20 existing units built in the 1980s. Phase Two will see 20 more units built in five townhouse buildings on a portion of the land zoned for dense residential use. Phase Three will require rezoning a portion of the property zoned for agriculture in order to build an apartment complex with 34 units.
“We’re hoping rezoning will be in place and on time so we can just roll into Phase Three,” Gauthier said, explaining the group hopes to start construction on Phase Two in 2018 and have it completed in one year.
For much more on this story, see the Nov. 29, 2017 issue of the Gulf Islands Driftwood newspaper, or subscribe online.