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New rental apartments in Maple Ridge to public hearing

Viam Holdings proposing 291 new one-, two- and three-bedroom rental apartments.
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A Maple Ridge firefighter helps a tenant escape from the Sunrise apartments in March 2015.

Amacon’s plan to build 291 rental apartments in central Maple Ridge is moving on to a public hearing following recent support from council.

Viam Holdings (Amacon) is proposing to put two new buildings on the property at 222nd Street and 121st Avenue, providing a total of 291 new one-, two- and three-bedroom rental apartments. One of those buildings will be built on the site of the former Sunrise Apartments, which was damaged by fire in 2015.

The application was put over from December after council attached some conditions.

Amacon responded with a letter describing how tenants are screened and that it applies its own version of the Crime Free Multi Housing program.

It’s also offering the tenants now living in the Sorrento Apartments at 22260 – 122nd Ave., first choice of units in the new apartment building. In addition, those 39 tenants will be guaranteed that their new rents will be only a maximum of $100 more than what they were paying in their old building.

If Sorrento Apartment residents don’t want to move into the new building, they can move to some of Amacon’s other older buildings.

All residents of the Sorrento will also get the equivalent of three months rental payments, whether they choose to move into the new building or move out entirely.

Once the Sorrento is vacant, it can too can demolished, allowing construction of the second new building.

In all, the 54 units at the Sunrise and the 41 units at the Sorrento will be replaced by a total of 291 new apartments.

The city is creating a tenant relocation assistance policy to set guidelines that can apply to future proposals to redevelop low-rent housing.