I wrote a story last week about a new housing complex in the Downtown Eastside built from recycled shipping containers.
Maybe you read it.
I know some of you did because I received calls and emails from folks wanting to know when more of this type of housing would be built and put on the market.
As I mentioned in my story, the 12-unit complex at 502 Alexander St. is strictly social housing and will be occupied by women with low incomes and others who have been homeless or at risk of homelessness.
I also pointed out another much larger complex made from shipping containers is proposed for property at Hawks and East Hastings.
Again, it will be for social housing.
But fear not all you people looking to buy a cheaper form of housing in what has become a very unlivable city for many residents.
Frank Lo, president of MC Quarters Corporation, wants to build affordable market housing in Vancouver out of shipping containers.
Who is Frank Lo?
Well, he is the guy who arranged to have the shipping containers reinforced and delivered to the property at 502 Alexander St. He also donated a container for the project, which he acknowledged was like putting big pieces of Lego together.
Lo has experience in putting shipping containers together since his company manufacturers modular housing for logging and mining camps. His company has built social housing for aboriginal groups in Australia and mining operations in Alaska.
Standing inside one of the box-shaped units on Alexander Street, there are no obvious signs the apartment is actually a shipping container.
Its amazing how it looks, said Lo as he pointed out the modern kitchen, bathroom, big windows and high ceilings.
We did this for the community. Its a right for people to have shelter. But with this experience, I want to build more developments for affordable market housing.
Lo didnt say where in the city or when he planned to build market housing. Nor could he anticipate how much the housing would cost.
But, he noted, the Alexander Street project was considerably cheaper than typical complexes of its size and it cuts down on construction waste that goes to the landfill.
The units on Alexander Street are an average of 290 square feet and cost $82,500 each to build. Over on Abbott Street, 320 square foot units made from traditional construction materials were built for $220,000.
Of course, any project that Lo wants to pursue would have to be accepted by city council, which is on record for considering innovative ways to get affordable housing built in Vancouver.
And Im going to speculate shipping container housing might be accepted more in neighbourhoods as it is on Alexander Street than Mayor Gregor Robertsons controversial idea to take away street space and build housing on it.
The so-called thin streets idea has been a non-starter, as many Marpole residents will attest. Interested to know what the same residents think about shipping container housing.
So would Frank Lo.
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