A developer in Kamloops says nearly all the tenants of a new Kamloops Innovation Centre are close to being finalized.

Joshua Knaak with Arpa Investments says construction will start next year, and says the building will be finished 18-to-24 months after that.

He says the building in the 300-block of the Tranquille Corridor will be eight storeys tall.

“There’s been such interest from the tech community. There’s similar centres in Kelowna, with Accelerate Okanagan, there’s a similar centre in Prince George. And Kamloops is really on the edge of being able to capitalize on a growing tech industry. So eight storey building, mass timber construction which allows us to go past six [stories]. It just makes sense to be using mass timber, when you’re in an environment like Kamloops with the logging and forestry, and they’ve been going through some challenges.”

It’s part of several developments by Arpa on the Tranquille Corridor, where Knaak says the company has spent $22 million to date.