The future of homebuilding has arrived in Prince Rupert, B.C., with the opening of a 40-unit building on Ninth Avenue built by NorthStar Pacific Development.
Estrella, located at 511 Ninth Ave. W., was built by NorthStar using modular construction, allowing projects to be completed faster and at lower cost, said executive vice-president Jeff Brown.
“Modular construction allows us to build a majority of the project in a factory where we have factory controlled settings. We’ve got the ability to budget with certainty as well as schedule with certainty. And as a result, we were on schedule as well as below budget and that’s very important because being below budget allows us to pass those savings on to the residents.”
The project was funded by a combined $14 million investment by the provincial and federal governments, the City of Prince Rupert and Aurora Housing Society. Each module was built in a factory in Winnipeg, Manitoba and spent one day of construction at each of the 22 stages and was then shipped to Prince Rupert for the eventual construction. These new units will greatly benefit the community, said Brown.
“Prince Rupert is a growing community and it’s very strategically important to our country as a whole. The third largest port in the country is right here in Prince Rupert. This is a very attractive place for people to come for work, but also for the natural beauty that this city offers. We feel that this project can offer secure, good quality housing for people in Prince Rupert, but also be an example for other folks in the community who are also building, to learn from. We’ve been in discussion with some of our neighbors who’ve been curious about what we’ve been doing, and we’ve given several tours to local builders and showed them how the technology works and we think some of them might pick it up.”
A recent estimation suggests that more than 1,200 homes are needed to keep up with the demand in Prince Rupert. These new units are just the start, said Prince Rupert mayor Herb Pond.
“We need a lot more to really make a difference, but every single rental unit that comes on the market takes pressure off of the rental market that we have now, where, a couple of things happen. Sometimes the price gets inflated beyond what it should, but also sometimes the quality of the units for some landlords are sub-par. When you have brand new units coming in, it forces everybody to up their game both on price and on quality. There’s also no question that as you look to attracting new young professionals into the community, new young families into the community, this would be a kind of place that would be a great landing spot. If you had a couple of young kids, you can walk to all those amenities. Everything is close. Even downtown. It’s not that far to walk from here.”
The federal government is working to support affordable housing, said federal Minister of Housing and Infrastructure Gregor Robertson.
“Our government is committed to working with communities and all levels of government to provide the support they need to increase the pace of affordable homebuilding. The innovative building methods used for this project demonstrate how we are addressing housing challenges more quickly to ensure every Canadian has a place to call home.”
B.C. Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs Christine Boyle echoed the word of Pond and Robertson.
“These new homes will make a real difference for people in Prince Rupert. By working with partners, we’re creating more housing options for people who keep this community running – whether in health care, port operations or small businesses. Everyone deserves a stable home that allows them to put down roots and thrive in the place they call home,” said Boyle.
