The Revelstoke Community Housing Society is taking on a microhome pilot project, first championed by Adrian Giacca.
A subcommittee has been formed to help move the initiative forward.
“The RCHS believes microhome communities may be one innovative solution to help Revelstoke address its housing crisis,” reads a news release from the organization.
This news comes at the end of the grant Giacca received from RBC’s Future Launch Initiative, to pursue his tiny home ideas. His goals were to facilitate community engagement, establish partnerships, further permaculture education and complete the development of a business and conceptual plans for the project.
READ MORE: Revelstoke tiny home developer granted RBC Future Launch Community Challenge money
“The acknowledgement of the Housing Society is a huge honour as it demonstrates that this is no longer my project, but as it was always intended to be; a Revelstoke development for Revelstoke residents,” Giacca said in a news release.
Chaired by Giacca, the subcommittee includes Alan Mason, Jill Zacharias and Rana Nelson.
The society will be collaborating with stakeholders and government agencies to develop a housing initiative that prioritizes a greater sense of well-being, providing residents with a stepping stone into the real estate market with guaranteed long-term affordability.
“The cost of living in Revelstoke is becoming increasingly unaffordable with property values rising 53 per cent since 2017,” reads the news release about the project. “The average price of a single-family home today is $567,000. As prices continue to rise, 60 per cent of our residents can’t afford the $95,000 household income needed to purchase housing in our community.”
To address that issue, a microhome community pilot project will be developed with small homes ranging from 300-700 sq. ft.
The homes will be detached, private dwellings arranged around a pocket community of shared amenities and outdoor spaces.
Established as a bare land strata, the community development will provide affordable home ownership that caps the investment potential from rising property values.
“The greatest loss to a community are its residents who can no longer afford to call this place home,” Giacca said.
The pilot project will explore the viability of further investment in microhome infrastructure as a possibility to meeting the housing needs in the community.
Giacca has been working on creating alternative housing since coming to Revelstoke in 2018.
READ MORE: Creating ‘functional, intentional and beautiful’ tiny homes in Revelstoke
@RevelstokeRevue
editor@revelstoketimesreview.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.