Castlegar is making strides towards filling its housing deficit, but still has a long way to go.
In 2023, the City of Castlegar identified an immediate need for 464 housing units through an in-depth housing needs assessment.
Statistics released by province show that over the last three years, (2022-2024) construction has begun on 135 new housing units in the city. Between 2014 and 2021, annual averages ranged from 7 to 21, with 111 units added during that eight-year span.
When looking at the three year window of 2022 to 2024, Nelson's overall housing construction was similar with 141 new units completed or underway.
However, Nelson's statistics include 37 units of student housing at the Silver King campus of Selkirk College. But Castlegar's statistics do not include the 114-bed student housing building at Selkirk College's Castlegar campus, as that fell under Regional District of Central Kootenay jurisdiction.
Meanwhile, Trail only added 22 new units during the same period.
Castlegar and Nelson are also very similar as to what types of housing have been built over the last three years. Castlegar saw 28 single-family dwelling starts while Nelson saw 24. Castlegar saw 101 apartment unit starts and Nelson had 106. There were 15 row house units built in Castlegar and 11 in Nelson.
Not all of these projects are completed yet, but a number of units are expected to be ready early this year including 54 at Park Place (2405 Columbia Ave.), 13 at Eagle Estates (1101 2nd St.) and eight at 2225 Columbia Ave. There are also at least 14 single-family homes under construction.
Several other major projects are on the horizon.
The healthcare-housing partnership development slated for 925 Columbia Ave. will begin in spring 2025. It will include 68 units.
Castlegar City Council has also approved a development permit for a 27-unit apartment building in downtown Castlegar. This project is a partnership between BC Housing And Castlegar Community Services, but a project timeline has not been released and construction has not begun.
Also pending is the housing/art gallery project planned for 925 Columbia Ave. This project has been on hold pending funding, but plans call for 60 housing units.
BC Housing also has a plan to open a 20-bed shelter in Castlegar later this year.
The diversity of housing units, including apartments, is good news for the city as one of the key discoveries in the housing needs assessment was that Castlegar has an over-abundance of large, single-family homes and a deficit of smaller homes and apartments.
