Stock photo (ID 115306071 © Dechev | Dreamstime.com)

By Liam Verster

Co-Op Housing Plans

Vernon looking for opportunities to develop co-op, affordable housing

Sep 17, 2025 | 12:27 PM

The City of Vernon has taken a step towards bringing more housing options into the community, though the plan is still in the early stages.

At the regular meeting Monday, Sept. 15, Vernon City Council was provided an update on an previous decision to set aside five acres of Hesperia Land, above Longacre Drive in the Okanagan Landing neighbourhood, for the Co-op Housing Federation of B.C. to use to build more homes.

The intention was to have the Federation (COHFBC) undertake a feasibility study for building and managing a co-op housing development for people with moderate incomes to access.

However, as of the latest report, the COHFBC had not conducted the study nor approved any work at the site due to being fully occupied with other projects.

With that update, council decided to investigate other opportunities for that land.

Possible firearm involved

One person apprehended in connection with suspicious activity in Coldstream

Dec 13, 2025

Fatal Collision, Highway Closed

One person dead in crash near Revelstoke

Dec 13, 2025

Salaries

Vernon Council to discuss lesser pay increases

Dec 12, 2025

“I think there is significant interest in our community for co-op housing and co-op housing possibilities,” Mayor Victor Cumming said at the meeting.

“I encourage staff to continue to look for options for other agencies who might be able to deliver. Just because [COHFBC] is tapped out, it may be some other organization that would like to take on the co-op model. It’s a tremendous model for worker housing, and we’ve committed the land, so I would hope that someone else would step up.”

City staff indicated in Monday’s report that they would follow the mayor’s advice and look for alternate providers who could build similar housing for the missing middle on that site.