Abbotsford is getting closer to issuing a housing agreement for a downtown emergency shelter that’s already in use.
BC Housing is operating the former Red Lion Inn building that abuts Jubilee Park, where they have 30 supportive-housing units and 20 emergency beds. BC Housing bought the property in 2021, and the property has been in use ever since.
Council gave first and second reading to a bylaw amendment for the property, and the city will now schedule a public hearing regarding the amendment. The hearing will focus on “a site-specific text amendment to the Abbotsford Zoning Bylaw and the Historic Downtown Commercial Zone (C7) to allow for an emergency shelter use and to consider issuance of a housing agreement.”
The agreement and zoning amendment will bring the operation into compliance.
There was no discussion at the council table on the topic on Monday night, and council voted unanimously to move ahead. City staff confirmed that council had previously approved not enforcing the applicable zoning bylaws surrounding the emergency shelter. This was to enable getting housing in place quickly, and in good faith that BC Housing would apply for the rezoning and housing application.
The staff report explains that a housing agreement that will specify the terms and conditions regarding eligibility, occupancy and other provisions set out in the Local Government Act.
The Abbotsford Downtown Business Association penned a letter to the city late last year, asking for some measures to be put in place at the site. BC Housing responded to those concerns at that time, outlining the work being done to keep the area surrounding the property clean, among other concerns.
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