251134
253994
Vernon  

New on-campus housing opens at Okanagan College Kalamalka Campus in Vernon

Housing opens at college

Students heading to Okanagan College in Vernon will have on-campus housing starting in September.

Part of the 101-bed apartment complex will open in time of the start of the school year.

The building on the Kalamalka Campus will also house a daycare operated by the non-profit Maven Lane.

Construction started on the complex more than a year ago. On Friday Premier David Eby, Vernon-Monashee NDP MLA Harwinder Sandhu and Kalamalka Campus President Dr. Neil Fassina officially opened the dorm.

Fassina said when the building opens, the top two floors will be fully occupied “starting at the beginning of September” and when the final two floors are fully complete, they will be filled as well.

“We are anticipating full occupancy by next September,” Fassina said.

The units will also be cheaper for students than they would find on the open market.

Sandhu said “the goal is to keep rent 25 to 30 per cent below the rental market.”

A 300-plus-square-foot single unit will rent for between $700 and $800 a month. There are also two and four-bedroom units and Sandhu said the rental costs will tied the size of the unit, but will still be significantly less than on the open market.

All units come with a complete kitchen and bathroom. Laundry facilities will be shared on the main floor.

The south side of the building also comes with a 'million-dollar' view of Coldstream and Kalamalka Lake.

The housing is expected to have a ripple effect in Vernon by freeing up rental units that would otherwise be used by students.

The Sunflower Childcare Centre will also benefit students with children as they can have on-campus care. The day care is booked to capacity before it even opens, but Fassina said the college worked with Maven Lane “to make sure that we are prioritizing our students that are looking for childcare support and once those student priorities are taken care of, we are working with Maven Lane to make sure that we are identifying other community that can use the centre as well.”

Fassina said a $10-a-day daycare is not available at the Sunflower Childcare Centre yet, but “we are working towards that direction.”

OC instructor and longtime Vernon resident Lloyd Davies, and his wife, Janet Armstrong, donated $600,000 to the college to help build the childcare centre.



More Vernon News

254170