A group of almost four-decade-old commercial buildings facing Newcastle Channel on a prominent waterfront property in Nanaimo will be getting a new look.
Nanaimo council has voted unanimously in favour of a plan to upgrade the exteriors of three two-storey buildings on a 4.7-acre lot at 1840 Stewart Ave. in the Brechin Hill neighbourhood.
The Nanaimo Waterfront Walkway crosses through the property, which has a large parking lot on the west side and a marina to the east. The developer holds a water lease with the Nanaimo Port Authority.
The buildings have not substantially changed in decades, Dale Lindsay, Nanaimo management of development services, told council. Existing buildings contain a former market, pub, boatyard and retail.
The project required a development permit and a variance because of the buildings’ proximity to the water. Both were approved.
The project application came from Petroglyph Development Corp., which is owned by the Snuneymuxw First Nation.
Plans call for an addition to be removed from the main building, which will include 11 commercial units. Together, the buildings total 22,981 square feet. The main building will be transformed with a two-storey entry, and buildings will be re-clad in materials including corrugated metal, aluminium panels, cedar and faux-wood plank siding.
“The building design will highlight the prominent site visible from both the Stewart Avenue/Brechin Road corridors and the Newcastle Channel,” planner Caleb Horn said in a staff report.
New front canopies are planned for the buildings. The parking lot will be upgraded with formal parking spaces marked and landscaping will be added.
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