The City of Vancouver officially broke ground on a new affordable housing project in the Little Mountain neighbourhood — more than a decade and a half after hundreds of residents in social housing on the site were displaced.

Holborn Properties Ltd. is now constructing a 48-unit affordable rental building as part of a community amenity contribution the company agreed to when city council approved private development rights.

“The Little Mountain project is a testament to our shared vision of inclusive urban development that prioritizes social responsibility alongside economic growth,” said Holborn CEO Joo Kim Tiah.

But it comes about 16 years after 700 residents were displaced from the area when the developer purchased the Little Mountain land between Main and Ontario streets and 33rd and 37th avenues for $334 million in 2008.

Since then, only one social housing project — a 53-unit building finished in 2015 — has been completed on the site.