North Shore Neighbourhood House Hub Redevelopment

The Hub is being built in three phases to ensure the continued operation of the North Shore Neighbourhood House throughout construction.

Phase 1 is under construction and features a six-storey building with 89 below-market rental units that Catalyst Community Development Society will operate and a respite centre that The Health and Home Care Society of BC (CareBC) will manage. This phase will be completed in fall 2025.

Phase 2 will include the construction of a new building with 179 non-profit rental units and a new North Shore Neighbourhood House, offering a wide range of essential community services including childcare, youth and seniors’ programs, recreational and wellness programs, and food security programs. Completion is anticipated for 2028.

Phase 3 will deliver a renewed Derek Inman Park to the site. Construction will begin after the existing North Shore Neighbourhood House is demolished in 2028.

Preliminary Engagement – Spring 2021

• Introduced development concept to the community and gathered feedback to refine design.

Council Consideration – Fall 2021

• City staff presented an Official Community Plan amendment, rezoning, and park boundary adjustment for Council consideration.
• Public Hearing was held.
• Council approved the redevelopment plan.

Phase 0 (early works) – April-August 2022

• To prepare the site for redevelopment, the City undertook utility works and created a new interim outdoor childcare space for North Shore Neighbourhood House to facilitate construction of Phase 1.

Phase 1 (northwest building) – Fall 2023-Fall 2025 (anticipated)

• Construction is anticipated to be complete fall 2025.

Phase 2 (southwest building) – 2024-2028 (anticipated)

• Construction will commence in late 2024.

Phase 3 (Derek Inman Park) – TBD

• Decommissioning of the old NSNH and construction of new Derek Inman Park.

As part of re-imagining this site, the City held a series of engagement initiatives in 2021. The public and others provided essential input to help the City make the best decisions and plans for this important project. 

Engagement initiatives included a Virtual Information Session on May 13, 2021 attended by 98 people, a Let’s Talk community engagement project page, with over 1,500 page visits, and an online survey. 

During the community engagement, three main themes emerged for The Hub project:

• Make a positive contribution to the neighbourhood
• Safe and accessible connections to the surrounding neighbourhood
• Create a distinct identity for the emerging community hub 
• Fosters community connections
• Unique identity for the North Shore Neighbourhood House
• Create an equitable, inclusive, and sustainable design
• Rental housing that meets a range of affordability needs

The North Shore Neighbourhood House (NSNH) has been serving the Lower Mainland’s North Shore community since 1939. With a mission to enhance the lives of community members, especially the most vulnerable, NSNH strives to create a safe, healthy, and inclusive environment where everyone matters. As one of the largest not-for-profit organizations on the North Shore, NSNH employs more than 100 people across 18 sites, providing a wide range of programs and services that cater to children, families, youth, and seniors.

The North Shore Neighborhood House main site is situated at 225 East 2nd Street in North Vancouver's Lower Lonsdale neighborhood, and serves the community through several major programming areas that operate on-site. These programming areas encompass a range of services aimed at improving the lives of community members, with a special focus on those who are most vulnerable, and include childcare and children’s programs, community programs and services (programs that service diverse needs of our community including new parents, seniors, teens, food security, service navigators, edible garden project, lunch programs).

The current facility is near end of life. Built in 1967, the facility is faced with accessibility challenges, lack of storage, inadequate support equipment and infrastructure for the current programming.

The new North Shore Neighbourhood House facility will continue to provide an extensive range of community services, including childcare, food programs, wellness, and recreation activities, and youth and seniors’ programs. Planning has already begun for the new facility, and a draft functional program has been developed to address current and future programming needs of the NSNH. A facility of approximately 29,000 square feet is required, and will be contained within a three story podium, topped by fifteen stories of housing. 

Key program components:

• 37 space childcare (12 infant/toddler, 25 30 months-5 years)
• Child development program supporting 250 children with developmental delays
• Community Programs (Teen Club for teens with special needs, , Youth Programs, Volunteer Opportunities,Seniors Wellness programming including Stroke Recovery Club andService Navigators)
• North Shore Food Bank (serving 1,100 households/week)

Residential House

There is an existing City-owned residential heritage house located on the Phase 2 site area. Through the 2021 rezoning process, it was determined that it would not be possible for the structure to remain in place. City staff engaged with the Heritage Advisory Commission during the rezoning process and explored the possibility of relocation as well as careful deconstruction and salvage of materials. Unfortunately, following an environmental assessment, hazardous materials were found through the structure, and as a result City staff were only able to salvage and repurpose only a few heritage items. The residential house is set for deconstruction and demolition in early September 2024.

Charros Community Garden

The existing Charros Community Garden will close in September 2024. The City is working with the North Shore Community Garden Society to maximize opportunities within the existing community garden network. Stay tuned!

Playground & Tennis Courts 

The existing playground in Derek Inman Park will be removed to enable Phase 2 construction. There are 4 alternate playgrounds within a 3 block radius of Derek Inman Park: Semisch Park, Waterfront Park, Hamersley Park and Chief Mathias Joe Park.

The existing tennis courts in Derek Inman Park are anticipated to remain operational during construction of Phase 2. This will be reviewed throughout the construction period and is subject to site safety considerations.

Trees

While we do our best to encourage the retention of trees on each development site, the complexity, multiple uses and technical requirements of the Phase 2 Hub Redevelopment site means we will need to remove several trees from the site. 

While it is optimal to preserve mature trees, the project, which will deliver 180 new homes as well as a new NSNH, is a large development that requires the entirety of the lot. The condition and size of the existing trees have been reviewed, and even if the building mass could be designed around the trees, their root systems would not do well with the extent of development activity on the site.

With the future redesign of Derek Inman Park opportunity exists to contribute to growing a healthy urban forest.  

Roadwork

During construction, temporary road closures will be required. Signage will be posted showing alternate routes and flag personnel will be on site to help keep traffic moving. Once construction commences, project updates will be posted to cnv.org/Roadwork.

Parking

Street parking adjacent to the Phase 2 construction area along St George’s Ave and East 1st Street is anticipated to be impacted. The existing lane provides parking to support NSNH and park activities. Signage will be posted and project updates will be posted on this page.