Source: Xtra West
Vancouver's Odyssey nightclub, a gay stomping ground for over two decades, is looking for a new home following surprise announcement that construction on the club's current site will be begin quickly, Xtra West reports.

The site of the classic and friendly "dive" club that has recently featured dancing along with drag shows and strippers is set to become supportive housing for people with HIV/AIDS

"We were given notice May 1," said Michael Levy, the Howe St club's co-owner, adding he had expected the bar to remain at its current site until 2011.

"This is where we were caught off-guard," Levy says. "Now, it's not as if we did not know that this would eventually be coming in 2011. I mean, we knew that because that's when our lease expired and we did not expect it to be renewed. However, we did not expect it to be by the end of this year."

Levy notes that a development application sign went up on the north side of the club about two weeks ago. The sign indicates that a 12-storey building housing 110 units will occupy the site once construction is complete.

The site, located at 1233-1251 Howe St, is among 12 city-owned properties being set aside for up to 1,200 social and supportive housing units to be jointly developed by the city and province.

A BC Housing release dated Feb 1 indicates that McLaren Housing Society was assigned the 1233-1251 Howe St site -- which includes The Odyssey -- after successfully submitting a development application for one of the 12 sites following a BC Housing request for proposals.

"We saw this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," says McLaren's vice-president Peter Regier, noting that this type of cooperation between the province and the city hasn't been seen for several years.

"We realized that it was something we had to jump on, and it was an opportunity to get a significant win for our target population," Regier says. The McLaren Housing Society has been providing safe and affordable homes and support services to low-income people living with HIV/AIDS across BC since 1987, when it was founded by members of the gay community.

Regier says there is a "massive need" for supportive housing in the HIV/AIDS community.

"The city has given it [the site] to us for the next 60 years under the Memorandum of Understanding between the city and the province," he adds.

Doug Robinson, a project facilitator with the city's development department, said the project will be managed by McClaren, but owned by the city.

"They're planning 110 units of supportive housing essentially with folks with HIV/AIDS or a history of such," he said. "They're people who clearly are in need of affordable housing who are likely residents and are occupying the area and the downtown area, so it's part of an overall city plan for 12 city-owned sites throughout the city, [of] which this is one," he continues.

Levy says he's familiar with McLaren's new housing project. "Eventually it will become a new development, there's no doubt about it," he says, adding that he expects construction to start by the end of the year.

He too says he considers the HIV/AIDS housing project a positive move. But, he says, it means The Odyssey will have to relocate.

"We are exploring all relocation avenues," Levy says. "We are doing our utmost to ensure The Odyssey continues. We hope that by the time ground is broken that The Odyssey would have successfully relocated."

Levy says he has his eye on "a couple of good options" for potential relocation sites but declined to give any further details, except to say that the club's new location will be "within walking distance" of the existing Odyssey.

"It will be within the West End," Levy hints. "We would never think of going where our clientele would feel uncomfortable."

McLaren Housing officials said they hope to help The Odyssey find a new home.

In a press release, McLaren's chair, Darren Kopetsky wrote, "It is our sincere hope that any disruption for the Odyssey would be temporary and that it will relocate and continue to be an important social destination and meeting place for the GLBT community in Vancouver."

Regier says the Society appealed to the city in a letter dated Feb 28 to facilitate The Odyssey's relocation.

"Displacing the Odyssey is what might come here," Regier acknowledges. "We hope it will be mitigated as quickly as possible, and the Odyssey will move to a new site, and will continue to flourish as a business. We absolutely support the business and we let them know that."

"We don't know exactly what's in the city's power to do to try and assist The Odyssey, but we asked them to investigate that and to facilitate the move as much as possible in terms of business licenses and whatever other kinds of regulations would apply to bars," Regier says. "We do have our eye on this and we're concerned."

Full article: City terminates gay club's lease