Individuals, seniors and families now have a new place to call home in Kelowna, with the official opening of an affordable apartment complex at Central Green.

Named i-spa-us ki-low-na, which means Heart of Kelowna, the four-storey complex provides 86 affordable rental apartments for people who have been priced out of the tight rental market in the Central Okanagan.

A unique feature of the building will allow studio apartments to be combined with adjacent one-bedroom units to create flex units for extended families.

The Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society manages the building at 1745 Chapman Pl.

The Province provided $3.9 million for the project and arranged construction financing of approximately $15.6 million. The City of Kelowna provided approximately $1.1 million in land contributions, municipal reductions and grants. The society contributed equity of approximately $470,000.

This development is part of the city’s Central Green Strategic Land Development Project, which will eventually include a community park, multi-family dwellings, retail spaces and community amenities. The majority of the site will be car-free and have a network of pedestrian walkways connecting the site with the surrounding communities.

Quotes:

Norm Letnick, MLA for Kelowna-Lake Country –

“I’m honoured to be part of the grand opening of Central Green, a housing project supported by $3.9 million in provincial funding in addition to contributions by the City and Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society. This redevelopment will provide 86 affordable rental apartments and demonstrates the power of partnership.”

Steve Thomson, MLA for Kelowna-Mission –

“Central Green i-spa-us ki-low-na is extremely innovative. This redevelopment takes a new approach to designing spaces that encourages diversity and inclusion in our city.”

Mayor Colin Basran, City of Kelowna –

“We’re so proud to see i-spa-us ki-low-na open. It’s part of the  City’s Central Green Strategic Land Development Project, which provides community park and multi-family dwellings, retail space and public amenities to low-to moderate-income adults, seniors and families.”

Edna Terbasket, executive director, Ki-Low-Na Friendship –

“A lot of hard work went into creating this beautiful building. We would like to thank BC Housing and our entire team for their spirit of cooperation in using their creative and technical skills to bring more affordable rental housing to Kelowna."

Quick Facts:

• Since 2001, the B.C. government has invested $4.9 billion to provide affordable housing for low-income individuals, seniors and families.
• More than 104,000 B.C. households benefit from provincial social housing programs and services.
• Last year, the B.C. government invested over $14.9 million to provide subsidized housing and rent supplements for more than 3,100 Kelowna households.

Learn More:

To learn more about the Province's actions on housing affordability, visit: https://housingaction.gov.bc.ca/

Follow BC Housing on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BC_Housing