Nestled in the heart of Wesbrook Place, the 87,000 sf Keenleyside was designed to look like two buildings. Keenleyside features 2 and 3 bedroom homes in a 4 storey building with either ground level terraces or balconies, many of which face south and overlook Smith Park. The units in this project were designed with spacious layouts and high quality finishes including granite countertops, wood flooring and energy and water efficient appliances and fixtures.
Keenleyside is the fourth Co development project on campus where faculty and staff and others who work on campus jointly build or ‘co develop’ their home at UBC. UBC’s Co-development program provides a more affordable option for home ownership exclusively for people working on campus. Co-development housing involves a group of UBC associated individuals applying to lease land at market value from UBC. UBC Properties Trust acts as project manager and carries out all the responsibilities associated with development of the project– i.e. arranging for the lease of land, selecting the development team, overseeing construction, etc. Because marketing efforts are minimal, no developers profit is taken and the Co-developers equity funds initial working capital, Co-developers achieved savings of approximately 15 – 20% below market values. The project supports UBC’s commitment that 50% of the new residential housing on campus be targeted to households where at least one member works or studies on campus.