North Island College is planning to add student housing to the Comox Valley campus in Courtenay.
Housing complexes will include 148 single units and 20 family units, expected to open in the fall of 2022, though the province first needs to approve the business case for funding.
“We are so excited about this because it’s going to have a huge impact on our institution,” NIC president John Bowman said. “We’re not just going to build dormitories. We want to build an environment where it would be a true living and learning community.”
Two spots on campus are being considered for construction of the units — next to the Aquatic Centre near the Ryan/Lerwick intersection, and the western perimeter. Housing will include spaces for students to socialize and learn, and outdoor amenities such as half-court basketball.
Bowman said rents will be affordable, likely in the $500 to $600 range.
“The desire for housing is primarily focused on enabling students from the North Island. It’s impossible to find a low-cost place for students to live. Many of them are sharing one bedroom apartments. We know that students want to come to the Comox Valley to go to school, but they don’t, because they can’t find a place to live.”
The priority is to house domestic students, though Bowman expects a significant proportion of the housing will be occupied by international students.
“We think it’s going to be an amazing enhancement to the campus,” he said. “It will relieve pressure on the existing rental housing market, so that will be good for the community as a whole.”
The college is consulting with the City of Courtenay, the K’ómoks First Nation and School District 71, which might opt to use the housing in summer.
The construction budget is about $28 million.
“North Island College has had a vision and a desire to build student housing on the campus for a number of years,” Bowman said. “We haven’t been able to make much progress on it until recently because the provincial government was not funding construction of housing for many years. However, when the new government was elected, they made housing a priority.”
The province is helping colleges and universities with student housing through a combination of loan funding. NIC will borrow money at a low interest rate, and repay government through rental income.
Bowman said the B.C. government will also provide grant funding to NIC — which is expected to contribute some of its own funds as well.
Government requires student housing in B.C. to be built to the ‘Passive House Design,’ a European green building standard that minimizes the environmental impact.
The college is requesting Expressions of Interest for architectural services. The tender closes March 12.