A five-storey building with 46 market rental apartments, amenity areas and underground parking is being built in Port Stalashen, situated on the south side of the Sunshine Coast Highway at Wilson Creek.
Local developer Shazach Holdings is behind the project, called The Arbutus, which broke ground in June 2018. A lease has been secured from shíshálh Nation until 2099.
The apartments are anticipated to be ready for occupancy by late 2019.
“We chose Port Stalashen as it provides a good central location that is close to transit and amenities, and the fact that shíshálh Nation provides an excellent development relationship,” Julian Burtnick of Shazach Holdings told Coast Reporter in an email.
“The Coast needs housing, so we saw an opportunity for rentals,” said Shazach Holdings’s Conner Burtnick, when asked why the developer has chosen rental units over condominiums. Rent prices haven’t been set yet but will be priced according to the market.
The development will have six layouts, ranging from 778-sq.-foot one-bedroom apartments to 1,443-sq.-foot two-bedroom apartments, and the units will be energy efficient.
“The goal is to put as much energy efficiency into the building for renters so their hydro bills will be cheaper… We don’t want people to be there but can’t afford their hydro,” said Conner Burtnick.
Shazach Holdings is also expected to build 42 market rental apartments on Venture Way in Gibsons, which will be combined with commercial, light-industrial and a live-work space. Gibsons council approved “form and character” permits for the project before the Oct. 20 election.
– With files from Sean Eckford
