North Shore residents left in lurch after townhome complex sold

Finding a rental home that fits four growing boys isn’t easy.

That’s why Jenn Ohlhauser is glad her family is living in a large unit at the Emery Village townhouse complex in Lynn Valley.

“The thing about older units is that they’re larger and so having that larger space is good for families to grow up in,” she said.

She is not sure how much longer she will be in her spacious home now that the 65-unit complex has been bought up by a developer.

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“My neighbours and I, we probably won’t be market housing material, so where will we go?” she asked.

The district’s rental vacancy rate is about 0.7 per cent and tenants say three and four-bedroom units are nearly impossible to find.

“A three-bedroom unit in the future is likely going to be significantly different than a three-bedroom townhouse with two levels that was built 50 years ago,” District of North Vancouver Mayor Richard Walton said.

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Mosaic, the Vancouver-based company that bought Emery Village, said there are no immediate plans to develop the lands.

“We will continue to get to know our Emery Village residents, ensuring they are well communicated with,” Mosaic’s Geoff Duyker said in a statement. “We are committed to assisting residents through any future changes at Emery Village.”

Walton said Emery Village residents will have options if they have to move.

“There are places being built,” he said.

Ohlhauser is skeptical.

“I don’t know where everybody will go with such a low vacancy rate,” she said.

– With files from John Hua