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Tear down house to become employee housing

WHA buys home in Whistler Cay and makes plans to move it

Plans are underway to move a 1,300 square foot home in Whistler Cay Estates and shunt it up the road to Balsam Way where it will become employee housing.

"It's the perfect size for a small single family… looking for restricted housing," said Tim Wake, general manager of the Whistler Housing Authority.

The owners of the 20-year-old home, Marika Koenig and her husband Paul Rawlinson, are planning to redevelop their lot, which sits at the bottom of Lorimer Road.

Before tearing down their house and sending the pieces to the landfill, their building designer, Kat Sullivan, recommended they give the WHA a call.

The WHA jumped at the chance to reclaim the house for employee housing.

It will cost the WHA $16,000, which is the cost of the permit fees for the owners’ redevelopment of the land, and a further $16,700 to move the house to Balsam Way.

But that's a move that concerns some residents in Tapley's Farm. Among other things, they are concerned about flooding in their neighbourhood. They want the municipality to address that before allowing the lot to be redeveloped.

A review of the geotechnical and flooding issues on the site is underway. When the work is complete staff will make a recommendation on whether or not the development of the site should move ahead.

The empty lot is a road end located next to Balsam Park. Ever since council approved a plan, initiated by Councillor Nick Davies last year, to investigate road end opportunities for employee housing, a number of sites have been looked at. This would be the first to be developed if it moved ahead.