City-owned property on Bowen Road could sell for a dollar to make way for affordable rental housing.
Nanaimo city council agreed in principle to sell 0.4 hectares on Bowen Road to the Nanaimo Aboriginal Centre for a dollar, during an in-camera meeting in early April.
The land at 1406 Bowen Rd. was once slated for a supportive housing complex for the city’s homeless. The aboriginal centre plans to create an affordable rental housing for urban aboriginals living off-reserve in Nanaimo.
Nanaimo Aboriginal Centre will leverage the city’s contribution of land to secure money from B.C. Housing to fund construction of the rental facility, according to a press release.
The land is assessed at $468,000. The centre would sign a repurchase agreement so the city can buy back the property for a dollar if construction doesn’t begin by April 4, 2019.
Politicians will be asked to approve the sale at a council meeting Monday (May 16).