Tag Archives: Rainbow Ridge

Housing

RIEP Presentation: Affordable Housing Across The Islands

One of the 2025 RIEP Virtual Forum presentations was a panel discussion of how the affordable housing societies were faring on six rural islands. There were a lot of common themes running throughout their stories: difficulties obtaining funding through BC Housing, CMHC and other organizations whose requirements are drawn up for urban rather than rural areas; the cost of building on remote islands; relationships with regional districts and Islands Trust; and water issues. The moderator was Mike Hoebel from the  Galiano Affordable Living Initiative Society (GALI).

Mike Hoebel: “The lack of affordable housing is truly a crisis in our communities and housing policy was a major item for discussion back at the RIEP 2023 In-Person Forum Gabriola. Today we’re going to hear from a number of people about housing related initiatives underway in their communities.”

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Development, Housing

SRD Staff Looking Into Funding Possibilities For Two Cortes Building Projects

At their Tuesday, March 11, meeting the Electoral Areas Services Committee (EASC) discussed further funding possibilities for the Rainbow Ridge affordable Housing Project and the new multi-use sports court.

Staff was instructed to prepare a report about the possibility of using utilizing $200,000 from Cortes Island’s Community Works (Gas Tax) funds to support the installation of the septic system and waterworks facility. This is approximately a third of the project’s estimated cost.  

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Housing

Should there be a Maximum Size for Houses on Cortes Island?   

A quick question just came up in regard to Cortes Island’s ongoing Zoning Bylaw Review. Cortes Island residents have up until noon on Friday, March 7, to make their thoughts known on possible limits to house sizes known. 

 “Do we want to put a limit on the maximum house size on Cortes?  It’s a basic yes or no question.” asked Regional Director Mark Vonesch.   

“If you do agree, what is the maximum size you would like to see happen? Everything from 2,500 square feet to 4,300 square feet. I’ve certainly heard from a lot of people that this is something that’s important to consider.  Basically do we want to have folks buy land here and build mega mansions?  Do we want to have Cortes be a place where the ultra wealthy can buy a piece of land and build a summer mansion?”

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Housing

Construction Begins at Rainbow Ridge

After years of anticipation,  construction has finally begun on the Rainbow Ridge affordable housing project in downtown Mansons Landing. 

“We had an open house a couple of weeks ago, and we had a lot of back and forth with the seniors village next door. We made some considerable changes to our plans based on their input. Then  Monday, we started clearing the land in preparation for phase 1 of our project,”  explained Sadhu Johnston,  Executive Director of the Cortes Housing Society. 

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Development, Housing

Construction coming to the (Many) Common Areas of Mansons Landing

Close to 50 people turned up at Mansons Hall on January 24, for an update on the construction coming or already underway in the downtown Mansons area. The Cortes Housing Society, Southern Cortes Community Association (SCCA), Cortes Island Community Foundation and Cortes Island Pickleball Society were on hand to describe what’s taking place at Rainbow Ridge, the multipurpose courts and the Village Commons. 

 Regional Director Mark Vonesch exclaimed, “The big news here on Cortes is that the Housing Society is going to start building houses this year.” 

Sandra Wood, who’s been at the heart of the Rainbow Ridge affordable housing project from the beginning, added, “It’s exciting to finally get shovels in the ground. We feel like we’ve been shovel ready for years.”   

Manda Aufochs Gillespie, from the Cortes Island Foundation, described another focus of the meeting “More and more, it’s clear that the Village Commons is really this whole area and all the things that we gather in the heart of Mansons to do.”

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