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Gibsons to work with Habitat to acquire former RCMP building

Housing
RCMP Building
The former RCMP building on School Road in Gibsons.

Next to Molly’s Reach, the old RCMP building at 749 School Road in Gibsons may be among the most recognizable buildings for tourists visiting the town. 

It was the detachment office Beachcombers character Constable Constable worked out of, and was often used as an exterior shot on episodes of the long-running TV series, but its days as the local detachment office ended when the new RCMP building on Sunnycrest Road opened in late 2012.

The building is still owned by the federal government, but the Town of Gibsons has long been interested in acquiring the site for an affordable housing project and had been talking with federal officials.

It turns out Habitat for Humanity Sunshine Coast was thinking along the same lines.  They approached the federal government about taking over the lot in 2013.

According to a report presented to Gibsons council’s committee of the whole March 7, the Town and Habitat are the only organizations that have shown an interest in the former detachment building, and because they both want it for affordable housing the federal government has asked for a joint proposal.

A 2015 council motion suggested a rental development, but Thomas Smith of Habitat for Humanity told the committee the group would prefer to stick with its affordable ownership model.

“In our assessment of the property, we would want to follow a similar process that we follow in all of our builds with freehold ownership in the properties. The most inexpensive housing we can do that with are semi-detached units,” Smith said. “When we look at the dimensions of the property, with a zone change and some minor variances we believe we could create six semi-detached units – three duplex buildings.”

Smith also said Habitat is now eligible for $50,000 from the province for each unit they build, and they want to look at sites beyond their major development in Wilson Creek as they accelerate their building program.

As well as giving staff the OK to work with Habitat on a proposal for the old RCMP building, the committee also approved getting to work on community consultations about two possible sites for an affordable housing project in partnership with the Sunshine Coast Housing Society.

The project could tap into the new Provincial Investment in Affordable Housing (PIAH) program, which is offering $355 million to create more than 2,000 affordable rental housing units. Among the 15 projects already approved is the one headed by the Pender Harbour Senior Housing Society. It’s getting $2.75 million.

The two properties being considered are at 571 Shaw Road and a block known as the Charman Creek Lands, part of a large section of Town-owned property between Stewart and Inglis Roads.

“I do have some reservations about the Shaw Road property,” said Mayor Wayne Rowe. “I still believe that eventually it needs to be a long-term care facility and we need to keep the space available for that.”