Student development in The Quarters ready for move-in

The Hive by Elev is ready for students to move in, behind schedule but well ahead of the incentivized projects set to swarm the core in coming years.

"I see it as an opportunity to try new things — to get creative, to get innovative, to leverage different resources," said Elev co-founder Jean Bruce Koua. "I think The Quarters has a lot of opportunities, and it's just a matter of taking a risk."

Elev is a platform that connects students with landlords. Koua co-founded the company in 2020 after struggling to find affordable housing as an international student at the University of Alberta. Then he took things a step further in 2024 by partnering with Five Oaks to manage affordable student housing units in a building at 9629 102 Avenue NW. Rent at The Hive starts at $588 for the fully furnished 65 units available so far.

The building, which is the former site of the Salvation Army Centre of Hope, was originally slated to open in October 2024. The delays — and risks Koua alluded to — might be measured in the long permitting process that neither he nor Five Oaks owner Gene Dub would discuss in detail. The bottom line is that it's not a straight path to repurpose a Salvation Army building into a student housing complex, Dub told Taproot.

"We'd really like to focus the conversation on the exciting momentum around The Hive and what comes next, rather than revisiting past permit-related challenges," Koua wrote in an email on June 1. "There's a lot happening behind the scenes right now, and we're looking forward to sharing more about the path forward for the project."

Some of those behind-the-scenes things are ready for their close-up, and some are not. The Hive is taking applications via in-person sessions and through the Elev digital platform. Further down the line, Koua said he and Dub are exploring bringing in an operator for the on-site commercial kitchen to help feed the students. The Connected Kitchen Project was previously tapped as its operator, but moved on to other opportunities during the permitting delays, Taproot learned from founder Michelle Frechette.

Launching a student-housing development at this time of year might seem awkward, given the distance from the main fall and winter semesters for post-secondary institutions. But Koua said the likely first crop of move-ins for the fall semester should not leave accommodation arrangements to the last minute. Plus, winter is coming.

"The biggest jump (in tenancy) would definitely be the end of August. When you look at the student-housing cycle, many students look in blocks of four or eight months," Koua said. "The winter semester? That's for the brave people."

The Hive is right beside The Quarters stop on the Valley Line LRT, though a transfer to the Capital Line at Churchill Station is necessary to take the train to the University of Alberta or NAIT. MacEwan University and NorQuest College are not too far away.

Five other student housing projects are in the works thanks to the $15-million Downtown Student Housing Incentive from the City of Edmonton with federal funding from the Housing Accelerator Fund. Four are in the heart of downtown, but one is another student housing project in The Quarters, which Dub himself is developing. Koua isn't concerned about the competition.

"That's a lot more foot traffic in the area, and offers a lot more opportunities for vibrancy," Koua said. "The way I see it is … the more, the merrier."

Dub has been fighting for development in The Quarters since at the least the 2000s. The district, once home to Edmonton's main Chinatown, was approved for a community revitalization levy in 2012, allowing the city to borrow against future property tax revenue to fund infrastructure improvements. But earlier this year, a $64-million shortfall was projected over the CRL's 20-year term, despite investments such as The Armature.

Dub told CBC in March that the area has become "a dumping ground for social services and problematic housing, to the point where it's become stigmatized there," but he holds out hope that the proximity to the Arts District and other amenities will make the area attractive to tenants in his buildings. The general vicinity is home to venues such as the Edmonton Convention Centre, Brighton Block, and Pendennis Building, with The Dive Bar providing an entertainment venue that is by and large affordable for students. Plus, the river valley is nearby.

Other types of development are underway as well. The Edmonton Pride Seniors Group and Right at Home Housing Society recently told Taproot that they may break ground on an affordable development in The Quarters for queer seniors as early as summer 2027.