The Whistler 2020 Development Corporation (WDC) is already looking to its next project as part of Phase 2 of Cheakamus Crossing’s development.
“We have a pretty solid project plan together that we can now move forward with,” said John Morley, president and COO of WDC, at a council meeting last month.
Morley was updating council on plans for Lot 5, the third site to be developed
as part of the ambitious housing plans
for Cheakamus.
While it’s still in the early phases, Morley gave some quick facts and numbers about the build, located across from Lot 2B’s active construction site at 1450 Mount Fee Road.
“[The plan] proposes a two-building Whistler Housing Authority (WHA)-operated rental development [with] similar specifications to the currently under-construction 2B project,” said Morley, who noted Lot 5, at build-out, would consist of 102 new units, with 121 parking stalls in line with zoning requirements.
Those 102 units will be split between 24 studio apartments; 40 one-bedroom apartments; eight two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartments; 24 two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartments; and six three-bedroom, two-bathroom apartments.
“There’s a good range of unit sizes,” said Morley, who believes the project would be able to cater to a wide selection of needs of those on the WHA rental waitlist, which, as of last month, sat at 564 households, a number Morley noted had increased by 70 or 80 people since Q1 2023.
The estimated project budget is $48.2 million.
“Obviously as we move forward with more detailed designs, we’ll refine those budgets and do our best to keep the cost down against what is still a very challenging construction cost environment,” Morley said.
More detail in the way of funding will come clear as the project comes closer to fruition. Shifting project costs were cited by Morley as a concern given rising construction costs across the industry, and interest rate uncertainty.
However, with ongoing construction at Cheakamus Crossing Phase 2, the WDC has “a finger on the pulse with regards to what costs are and where they might be headed,” Morley said.
Speaking of timelines, Morley said the WDC hoped to submit a development permit application to the RMOW in early December.
“This would allow for site preparation work to start in April 2024,” he said. “The conservative, safe schedule would be just foundations and parkade in 2024, with the superstructure woodframe in 2025, which would see the units delivered in late Q2 to Q3 2026.”
The currently-under-construction 1450 Mount Fee Road is expected to have its 48 units available for occupation in early 2025. That site was one of two in Whistler slated to receive federal financing, to the tune of $15.2 million, which was announced earlier in October.
