1656 Adanac Street Project

About the Project

Entre Nous Femmes Housing Society (ENF) is pursuing the redevelopment of Alma Blackwell, a 46-unit rental housing building located at 1656 Adanac Street in East Vancouver. The proposal would create a new six-storey building with 97 units of affordable rental housing for women, families, seniors and people with disabilities in the Grandview-Woodland neighbourhood. The project has been approved for funding from BC Housing under the Community Housing Fund Program.

The project would create 97 new units, increasing the number of affordable rental units on the property by 51. Through this redevelopment, more families, seniors and people with disabilities will be able to live in safe, secure and affordable rental housing in the Grandview-Woodland neighbourhood for years to come.

Unit Type	Existing Building	New Building
Studio	0	6
One-Bedroom	6	42
Two-Bedroom	24	33
Three-Bedroom	14	14
Four-Bedroom	2	2
Total Units	46	97

 

To encourage social connections and community building, the project will include a multipurpose meeting room on the ground floor and an amenity space on the top floor that opens onto a large outdoor rooftop with a community garden and a play area for children. These common areas are envisioned to be frequently used by residents to support different activities and encourage social interaction. The building will also be highly energy efficient and meet BC Energy Code, with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s universal guidelines also applied to the entire building.

The project will follow BC Housing’s Community Housing Fund requirements for rental rates and tenant eligibility. 20 percent of the units will be rented at a deep subsidy rate for those on income assistance, 50 percent will have rents geared to income and 30 percent will be rented at low-end-of-market rents. Rental rates and income eligibility requirements will be confirmed closer to the occupancy date.

Timeline and Process

ENF submitted a Development Permit application to the City of Vancouver on October 3, 2022. Should the project be approved, construction is anticipated to begin in early 2024. Learn more about the Development Permit application for this project on the City of Vancouver’s Shape Your City website: shapeyourcity.ca/1656-adanac-st.

Resident Relocation

As part of the redevelopment, existing residents at Alma Blackwell will need to be relocated. ENF is committed to minimizing the impact on existing residents and adhering to the City of Vancouver’s Tenant Relocation and Protection Policy (TRPP) requirements. We have retained dedicated relocation support specialists to work with individuals and families to create personalized relocation plans and find permanent homes. Moving support and financial compensation will be provided to existing subsidized and market residents under the City’s TRPP. In addition, all relocated residents will be offered the Right of First Refusal for the new units, should they choose to return to the building upon completion and meet income eligibility requirements.

More Information

For more information about ENF or the project, please get in touch with us at projects@enfhs.ca. To learn more about the Development Permit application for this project, visit the City of Vancouver’s Shape Your City website: shapeyourcity.ca/1656-adanac-st.

Project Renderings

• Top left: rooftop community garden
• Top right: rooftop community garden
• Bottom left: front of building from Adanac Street
• Bottom right: back of building from laneway