Housing of some form may yet be built on Granville Island.

When the former industrial site was transformed—starting in the 1970s—into a popular shopping and cultural destination in Vancouver, limited housing development was one of the intended land uses.

None was constructed, but with the ongoing federal planning exercise to chart the future of Granville Island, there is a chance that some might be built.

Michael Stevenson, a former SFU president, is leading the project on behalf of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, which manages the federal property.

According to Stevenson, who spoke to the Straight in a phone interview, the ongoing imagination of what Granville Island may look like by 2040 isn’t going to stray from its current status as a hub for culture, recreation, and education.

“Because it’s public land, it’s not governed by the normal forces of the market.…It’s a space in which a great deal of innovation and experimentation can take place.…That character ought to continue in the future.”

With regard to housing, Stevenson indicated that there may be short-term-lease units for artists or workers in innovative industries.

“That’s just my own, you know, stargazing idea,” he emphasized. “Nobody’s pressed the point so far, but…I will at least ask the question as particular uses and projects or proposals start to surface as to whether they could be advanced by some form, as I say, of innovative, temporary housing arrangement.”

A reference document submitted by Granville Island trustees to the City of Vancouver in 1978 indicated that up to 25,000 square feet of residential development can be built.

Emily Carr University of Art + Design leaves Granville Island next year for its new Great Northern Way campus.