Repurposing of the stained glass is part of saying “goodbye” to a historic church building on Spadina Avenue, and “hello” to plans for an affordable housing project at the site.
The fate of the stained glass was discussed at a meet-and-greet at the former United Church site in downtown Chilliwack on Thursday, (April 25).
Mamele’awt Qweesome/To’o Housing Society (MQHS) and the amalgamated Cheam View United Church team have partnered on redeveloping the site.
“The first milestone for us was when we first met back in 2019, and we’re at the second milestone now, which is removing the church and putting in a new home here with 64 units,” said Randy Reber, president of MQHS.
The demolition of the church should take about three months starting on May 1, he said.
The process will see hazardous materials removed, and remediation will be underway at the historic church site, before construction on the new building gets started.
Cheam View United spokesperson Debora Soutar said one of the two stained glass pieces will be re-imagined as part of a “back-lit feature wall” in the event space of the new facility.
The church group will have clubhouse and community space on the first floor, while MQHS will manage the rental aspect, with 64 units spread out on the other five floors.
The second stained glass piece has been sold to a local art enthusiast, Soutar said, who is working with a stained-glass expert and an artist, to see it re-installed eventually with a reconciliation theme at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre.
“It will be the same glass but it will be telling a different story,” Soutar said.
Church officials have been working on a plan to redevelop the site in a way that benefits the community as a whole for several years. Three Chilliwack-area United Church congregations came together as one entity in 2020, under the Cheam View United Church name, and agreed to undertake the redevelopment project.
They partnered with MQHS, and Station One Architects have been responsible for the building design and plans.
The rents will be geared for low-income and moderate-income residents, with funding for the project from BC Housing through the Community Housing Fund.
The plan envisions building a total of 64 housing units on the half-acre site at Spadina Avenue and Main Street, with 20 “affordable market rental” units, 33 “rent-geared-to-income” units, and 11 “deep subsidy” units.
The Spadina project will be the second one in Chilliwack run by the Indigenous-led housing society, as MQHS operates the Waterstone on Yale Road as well, and several properties in Mission.
A housepost at the Waterstone will be re-incorporated in the new building on Spadina. City council approved the rezoning and variances last year, and the estimated start time for the build is late fall 2024.
“We should be open by late 2025 or early 2026,” Reber said, adding the project is expected to take up to 16 months to build.
They’re going to save one stained glass section, and incorporate it into the new space, as well as the church plaques. The stone arch entrance to the church will be recreated similarly in the new building entrance design, and the doors will be repurposed as well.
“I think probably the big thing for MQHS is we want to be part of the community,” Reber said. “That means we need everybody to be involved with these projects. We see that as the big picture.”
READ MORE: Rezoning was approved last November
