City of Vancouver and Vancouver School Board sign agreement for Olympic Village elementary school

A 99-year lease has been signed between the City of Vancouver and the Vancouver School Board for a new elementary school in the Olympic Village neighbourhood.

The site is located adjacent to Hinge Park on Columbia Street; the land is currently identified as part of Hinge Park on city and Google maps.

“Building schools in Vancouver’s growing communities is important so that children can attend school in their own neighbourhoods,” says Vancouver School Board Chair Carmen Cho in a press release. “The Southeast False Creek/Olympic Village community, which has and continues to experience significant population growth, now has a site available and we appreciate the collaborations with the City of Vancouver.”

The site was identified in 2007.

As part of the agreement between the city and school board funding must be confirmed and construction of the new school must begin before Jan. 31, 2024, just under three years from now. The board is now applying to the provincial government for funding for the school.

There's been a push for a school in the area by local residents who've campaigned for a school in the neighbourhood. During the 2020 provincial election the BC NDP announced the issue would be dealt with if they were reelected.

The agreement also includes a part where the board would sublease a childcare centre at the school back to the city, though the city still needs to approve funding for such a centre.

“On top of providing much-needed space for learning, we also have the opportunity to add childcare that will help support parents and make this community even more family friendly," says Mayor Kennedy Stewart in the release.