Glyn Lewis, founder and CEO of Renewal Development, has been asking himself the same question his entire life: How do we build more sustainable, socially responsible communities?

“Witnessing the incredible volume of single-family homes being demolished across Metro Vancouver sparked the idea that there must be more responsible alternatives,” says the SFU sustainable community development graduate.

The Genesis of Renewal Development

Metro Vancouver demolishes 2,700 homes annually to make room for higher density development.

“I support urban densification, but density shouldn’t be wasteful,” Lewis says. “Twenty percent of homes slated for demolition can be relocated and repurposed for communities in need.”

From environmental and economic perspectives, demolition is not a thrifty option. The average 1,500-square-foot home sent to the landfill contains 100 tons of raw materials and 23 tons of CO₂ equivalent, not to mention they can still have substantial market value.

“Every day we come across a home slated for demolition that is in perfectly good condition,” Lewis says. “Mid-century homes that were recently renovated. Homes built in the last ten years. These homes have incredible value, just not in their current locations.”

Responsible alternatives

Renewal Development provides a one-stop shop removal service to developers or homeowners needing to clear homes from a property. Renewal relocates what they can, and they responsibly demolish and recycle what they can’t. The company then acts as a construction general contractor for a client in need of good, cost-effective housing.

“This process is 40% more affordable compared to building new,” Lewis says.

Demonstrated impact

The City of Victoria is setting the stage for change.

The municipality requires a demolition permit deposit that is refundable if the permit holder provides proof that a target amount of wood per square metre of above-ground floor has been salvaged.

“We need to see these ideas more broadly adopted across the province,” Lewis says. “That’s why Renewal Development isn’t just a company. It’s a campaign.”

Renewal Development has demonstrated its work with landmark projects. In 2023, the company moved a 110-year-old schoolhouse from Kitsilano to the Squamish Nation where it was turned into an early childhood learning nest. Last year, in partnership with Wesgroup Properties and the shíshálh Nation, ten homes were moved from Port Moody to the Sunshine Coast. The rescued homes will soon open as affordable rental housing for shíshalh Nation members.

Paradigm shift

These successes drive the call for developers, homeowners and governments to reshape their thinking and consider relocation or deconstruction.

“Our sustainable removal service is cost and timeline competitive with traditional demolition,” Lewis says. “For real estate developers, our solution makes so much sense.

“The paradigm that we create things and then throw them away is so disconnected from the natural resources that sustain us,” Lewis says. “We need to push for behavioral and policy change to recalibrate that broken relationship.”

Learn more about Renewal Development at renewaldevelopment.ca

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