It has been a busy and festive season for the Society of Hope. A great number of our tenants participated in one of our many Christmassy events. Cedar Court enjoyed seasonal foods at the end of November, followed by Apple Valley's Christmas Mingle on Dec 6th, complete with entertainment and a photo-booth! A gingerbread house making party was held for the children at our Short Term sites, and goodies were dropped off for our Franklyn Rd. residents. Woodsdale Place residents in Lake Country were the recipients of some gift baskets, and Providence Meadows enjoyed a party with games and treats. Pleasantvale enjoyed a banquet style celebration on Dec 13th, and this was closely followed by a holiday meal at our Gordon Drive location on the 20th. It was wonderful to have so many of our staff and tenants participate. We greatly appreciate all of the generous donations and helping hands that made these events possible.
News
The Society of Hope's 22-year vision of bringing affordable senior's housing to Kelowna has been realized.
To much fanfare, the ribbon was cut on the third phase of Apple Valley, a senior's complex on Benvoulin Court, Thursday morning.
The 47-unit building brings to 199 the number of affordable senior's units in the development.
Society executive director Luke Stack says the vision began with the donation of land in the Landmark Centre area in the late 1990s. The society sold that land, and used the proceeds to purchase what was at the time the Pettit family farm, where Apple Valley now sits.
"It took many, many years to find this site, get it out of the ALR, rezone it, get the roads built. That added quite a few years to the project," said Stack. "But, it turned out to be a great decision because it's so well located now. It's perfect."
Stack says the society is still trying to determine what to do with an additional two acres at the back of the complex.
It's also constructing 21 family townhomes in Glenmore. In all, Stack says the vision is to build another 150 units of affordable housing in Kelowna over the next five years.
Geraldine Barsetti is one of the residents who moved into Apple Valley 3 in October. She said she feels at home, and very safe, and has had no trouble meeting people and making friends.
Total cost of the entire development came in at $38 million, with $15 million of that coming from all three levels of government.
The Society of Hope, true to its Mission Statement of "Providing Quality Affordable Housing" is at it again. The Board of Directors wanted to see some new family town homes constructed in the next year. Consequently, the Society was able to bring a partnership together to do just that. BC Housing, the City of Kelowna, Vanmar Constructors and Society of Hope are building 21 new family town homes in the Glenmore Valley. The plan is to bring 16 three bedrooms to market and 5 two bedroom units to market in the autumn of 2019. There is a lot of work yet to do, but this is another step forward. The Society expresses its appreciation to all its partners that work together to bring this needed resource to Kelowna.
We are pleased to report that our contractor is putting the finishing touches on Apple Valley Building 3. This picture shows the new gardens nearing completion. The garden features several sitting areas, raised community garden beds and a water feature celebrating the original "water flumes" that were used to irrigate the Kelowna area from Mission Creek. The garden is designed to be a quiet area amidst the busy daily activity at Apple Valley.
Apple Valley building 3 has now been under construction for one year. The building is looking great on the exterior. The siding should be complete by the end of April. There still remains much finishing to do inside the building. The building should be complete by July 31, 2018 with occupancy beginning in late summer.
The Society of Hope was very pleased to welcome the Honorable Selina Robinson, Minister for Municipal Affairs and Housing to the Apple Valley site on February 2. The minister toured the buildings and then met with many residents and volunteers for a light lunch. The Minister was seeking input from the residents as to what they felt “worked” in this housing model. We were very encouraged and impressed to see how well the Minister engaged with the residents and listened to their comments and recommendations. (Minister Robinson is wearing a blue jacket in the picture above)
Apple Valley Building 3 is taking shape. In January the roof was completed and the windows were installed. The Society anticipates occupancy in the summer of 2018. The Society is currently taking applications for the new building. Apple Valley Building 3 will add 47 new apartment units completing the Apple Valley senior’s housing site.
Apple Valley Building 3 continues to make progress. In November the wood construction of the building has reached the 5th floor. There has been significant progress on the second half of the Pettit Garden. The Contractor is working hard to get the roof on the building before the snow arrives. The building is scheduled to complete in 2018 with anticipated occupancy in the summer of 2018. The Society is currently taking applications for the new building. Apple Valley Building 3 will add 47 new apartment units completing the Apple Valley senior’s housing site.
Apple Valley Building 3 continues to make progress. In October the wood construction of the building is seen to be well underway. The second half of the Pettit Garden is under construction as well. The Contractor is working hard to get the roof on the building before winter arrives. The building is scheduled to complete in 2018 with anticipated occupancy in the summer of 2018. The Society is currently taking applications for the new building. Apple Valley Building 3 will add 47 new apartment units to the Apple Valley site.
Apple Valley building 3 reached a significant milestone in late August. 700 cubic meters of concrete was placed in a single day preparing the way for the building to begin. The exterior of the building will take shape over the next few months as the wood structure is constructed. The building, with its 47 apartment units, is projected for occupancy in the summer of 2018.