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The City of Richmond’s proposal to build its first modular housing project for homeless people is already facing opposition.

Hundreds of people packed an open house Wednesday to get more information about the project slated for 7300 Elmbridge Way.

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“We’ve been getting a diverse range of viewpoints,” said Joyce Rautenberg, the city’s affordable housing co-ordinator.

If approved, the 40-unit three-storey project could make a serious dent in Richmond’s homeless figures, which grew 84 per cent to 70 people in 2017 from 38 in 2014, although homeless advocates believe the real number is close to 120.

The building will be erected on city-owned land currently used as an off-leash dog park in the Oval Village neighbourhood and would be in place for five years.

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Adjacent to an ICBC Claim Centre and across the street from a hardware store, the lot is surrounded by about a dozen condo towers that lie within a two-block radius, with more market housing developments on the way.