FILE PHOTO
(LEVI LANDRY / iNFOnews.ca)
April 05, 2024 - 1:20 PM
A former strip club and hotel is finally coming down in Kamloops more than two years after the city bought it for future development.
A demolition crew is tearing down the Northbridge Hotel after the Telus towers on the building that held up the job were moved.
The building, at 377 Tranquille Rd., was gutted last spring in preparation for the final demolition.
It should have been an empty lot by the summer, but complications with the lease for the rooftop Telus towers delayed the project for months.
It's not clear whether the city made plans to account for the Telus towers when planning the demolition job.
A crew is now tearing down the building from behind, according to a social media video posted by the North Shore Business Improvement Association.
City spokespeople have not returned phone calls regarding the demolition.
When the city bought the property in October 2021 it hosted long-term renters, many of whom remained for months after the purchase. It was to eventually be demolished and sold to a developer for market housing. The lot in the rear was also part of the purchase, which was then sold to BC Housing for a six-storey rental building.
City real estate manager Dave Freeman told a city council committee last month the 377 Tranquille Rd. property may now be included in the BC Builds initiative. It's a project under BC Housing meant to cut development time and construct homes for middle income families, according to its website.
It's not clear how far along any plans are to redevelop the site, but Freeman said an announcement may come this month.
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