Corrected: Province pitches Moody Centre plan

This article has been amended since first posting. The previous story failed to distinguish between the province’s proposal and the wider plans for the Moody Centre neighbourhood.

Nearly three years after the initial announcement, details are emerging on the province’s plan build a substantial development on Spring Street.

Roughly sandwiched by Hugh and Williams streets, the two-acre parcel would be redeveloped with rental housing.

The development aims to: “increase market rental and affordable housing unit supply,” while providing family-oriented options for middle-income households, according to the release.

A Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure spokesperson previously stated the project would include a mix of affordability levels including purpose-built rentals, larger units, and options for low-income families.

The project would include retail shops, artist studios, and parks. There is also potential to add health facilities and childcare, according to the province.

The site spans five Spring Street parcels, including about 150 parking stalls, based on a previous estimate.

The initial announcement from the province in 2023 envisioned: “hundreds of rental units, child care spaces, health-care services, educational opportunities and retail space.”

The development is part of a broader Moody Centre plan set to include a plaza fronting the SkyTrain station and a pedestrian overpass to Rocky Point Park which would add about 5,000 new residents to the area.

Mayor Meghan Lahti previously indicated that the province’s proposal would help the city hit the province’s housing targets.

“Development in proximity to the Moody Centre SkyTrain Station is in keeping with council’s goals of encouraging greater use of public transit, climate resilience, increasing access to jobs and services, and more affordable housing options,” Lahti stated in 2023.

The province picked up most of the land approximately 12 years ago for park-and-ride stalls, buying another 20,000 square-foot parcel prior to the 2023 announcement.

Following the passage of legislation allowing the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure to buy land near transit in 2022, the province allocated $394-million toward property purchases over the next three years. The province’s stated goal was to deliver 10,000 housing units on provincial land near transit over the next decade.

Discussing the endeavour in 2023, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Rob Fleming described backing transit-oriented developments across the province.

“Building neighbourhoods next to transit makes sense,” Fleming stated. “That’s why we are focused on creating more communities where people can go to work, school and access the services they need all close to transit.”