The City of Campbell River has bought four properties in its downtown core, including a 60-year-old hotel, for a downtown revitalization project that would include badly needed rental housing.
The city plans to seek a private-sector partner to build the waterfront-area project on Shoppers Row, which would include approximately 200 rental units, ranging from studio to three-bedrooms, above ground-level commercial, retail and civic spaces.
The 1965-built Harbourside Inn, purchased by the city on Dec. 20, 2024 for $8 million, according to government records, is expected to be demolished, with plans for construction to begin some time next year.
Low-income tenants of the approximately 60-room hotel, which offers long-term rentals, along with a community kitchen and drop-in centre, will be displaced when demolition starts on the hotel this year.
The city says it is working with the province and other agencies to find new homes for the renters. The vacancy rate, however, is below one per cent.
The initiative is seen as a way to boost the economy in the city, which according to the 2021 census had a population of 38,000.
Tenders have not yet been issued for a partner.
“Council has a vision for the downtown. We are reimagining Shoppers Row and bringing back the vibrancy and strong character that Campbell River is known for,” Mayor Kermit Dahl said in a statement.
Dahl said the development will “animate the area, increase livability and walkability, and deliver on council’s commitment to downtown revitalization and community safety.”
The prospect of downtown improvements delights the commercial sector.
“I personally am ecstatic, as most people are in the business community,” said Jan Wade, executive director of the Downtown Campbell River Business Improvement Association, who said she’s already heard from business people who want to rent space in the development.
There’s a strong demand for commercial space in the city’s downtown, Wade said. “We have people moving from out of town to open a business and we have people moving from other areas of Campbell River to set up downtown.”
Mary Ruth Snyder, executive director at the Campbell River Chamber of Commerce, is equally enthusiastic, saying the project has been discussed for years. “The fact that this mayor and council have found a solution is spectacular.”
Higher density will increase the vibrancy of downtown, she said.
The city said the Shoppers Row area was selected because of its potential for economic growth, infrastructure and central importance to the community. “It is our hope that revitalizing this space will have positive ripple effects on surrounding neighborhoods,” it said.
The city bought 1302 Shoppers Row, home to the downtown safety office, in 2023. Last year, it also purchased a vacant lot at 1352 Shoppers Row and 1362 16th Ave., which has a commercial building. The four lots total about 1.4 hectares.
The new building is intended to house the Downtown Safety Centre and serve as a base for the bylaw office to carry out its downtown patrols and clean-up work, the city said.
Campbell River acquired the properties in the 1300-block of Shoppers Row for $10.6 million, using part of a $10.4 million contribution from the federal housing accelerator fund, the city said in a statement.
Such grants and city reserve funds “will also be used to advance this project with no direct impact to taxation,” it said.
Jim Creighton, who used to manage events at the the city’s Spirit Square, said the Harbourside Inn’s condition has deteriorated in the past few years and it would make sense to redevelop it, although he’s concerned about where tenants will go.
City manager Elle Brovold said the city is working with community partners and sa国际传媒 Housing to relocate tenants in coming months.
Kwesa Place, which provides a place to shower and clean clothes, and the community kitchen are part of the Laichwiltach Family Life Society.
Laura McLeod, sa国际传媒 Housing spokesperson, said that agency has not been funding units at the Harbourside Inn, but is “in discussions with the city of Campbell River to understand what support the tenants may need to relocate to a new home as a result of the city’s redevelopment plans.”
Since 2017, sa国际传媒 Housing has provided 319 units of affordable housing in Campbell River, McLeod said. Most have tenants and another 98 units are planned. A 40-unit temporary supportive housing recently opened.
Joanne Watson, executive director of the Campbell River Food Bank and lead at the community kitchen — which receives a large portion of its food from the food bank — said the group has been told the kitchen must move out by June.
Many seniors, some with mobility issues, who live in the inn rely on the kitchen for hot meals, she said, noting it provides an average of about 70 to 80 meals per night.
Watson said she is hopeful that another location will be found for the community kitchen.
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