[Image of  buildings. Photo Credit to Pixabay]

Abbotsford city council made two high-profile supportive housing decisions in late February 2026, and the split result became a major local story.

On February 24, council voted against a proposal for a temporary modular supportive housing site located across from Abbotsford Traditional School.

The same week, council advanced a separate supportive housing project in downtown Abbotsford that is now nearing final approval.

The rejected proposal involved a planned supportive housing development at Martens Park, located at 2270 Martens Street.

The location was highlighted in coverage as being near and across from Abbotsford Traditional School, and this proximity became the main focus of public concern and council discussion.

The Abbotsford News report described the plan as a supportive housing project that council rejected primarily due to concerns about where it would be placed.

The Martens Street proposal was connected to BC housing and would have been run by connective support society.

It was described as a 42-bed temporary modular supportive housing project aimed at older adults, with eligibility starting at age 45, and an expectation that most residents would be 55 or older.

The article also detailed the support that would have been provided, including staff support and programming, with residents paying rent and signing an agreement.

Community opposition to the school area project was also highlighted in coverage.

The Abbotsford News report referenced a petition that gathered more than 1100 signatures opposing the proposal.

The story described councillors' concerns as being centered on the site’s location, with the school’s close proximity repeatedly raised in the debate.

A separate report from Fraser Valley Today described the council vote on the Martens Street rezoning as 8 - 1 against.

The report also stated the proposal would have included an on-site “overdose prevention” site on the premises and that the planned location was nearly across from school grounds.

While the Martens Street proposal was rejected, a downtown Abbotsford supportive housing project advanced.

The Abbotsford News report published on February 26 described a five-storey supportive housing building with 48 units proposed for the corner of Gladys Avenue and George Ferguson Way in historic downtown Abbotsford, adjacent to the existing Hearthstone supportive housing building.

The downtown project, which is also described as being connected to BC housing, is planned to be operated by Archway Community Services.

The Abbotsford News report described the supportive housing model for the downtown building as including on-site staffing and support for residents.

BC housing’s “Let’s Talk Housing” page for the Gladys Avenue project describes supportive housing as subsidized housing with on-site supports for single adults who are at risk of or experiencing homelessness, including seniors and people with disabilities.

It also says residents apply, sign program agreements, and pay rent, and it outlines typical supports that can be provided.

Both proposals were connected to BC housing and were described as supportive housing with on-site support, but the public and council response to each project differed significantly. 

Reports on the Martens Street proposal focused on its location across from Abbotsford Traditional School, community opposition, and a petition with more than 1100 signatures. 

In contrast, the Gladys Avenue project advanced in downtown Abbotsford beside the existing Hearthstone supportive housing building. 

Coverage of the two decisions showed that location and surrounding community context were major parts of the council’s discussion

The two outcomes, rejection near a school and progress downtown, demonstrate how Abbotsford’s supportive housing debate in February 2026 was centered heavily on the location and setting of projects, even when both proposals were framed as supportive housing connected to BC housing.

The council’s decisions created a clear contrast in the public conversation; one proposal did not proceed due to concerns tied to a school-adjacent location, while another proposal in downtown Abbotsford moved forward through council approvals and toward its next steps.