A major redevelopment project has been proposed for downtown Kamloops.
It’s called the “The Hive,” and the new development by A&T Project Developments and Invictus Properties will have three new buildings with retail and office space built along Lansdowne Street, between 5th and 6th avenues.
City councillor Mike O’Reilly says it’s no coincidence that this project was announced after council passed a new 10-year tax exemption bylaw just yesterday.
“It just puts the biggest smile on my face. What this does, it really helps diversify our economy,” he says. “There’s been so much work put into it, and they [developers] now have a leg up. Not even an advantage over other communities in British Columbia, we are now on a level playing field and Kamloops is open for business.”
O’Reilly says this will be the first new commercial building downtown in Kamloops since 2007.
“”This isn’t an overnight thing that they came up with. This type of project, and the ones that are going to come in the next two years, have been on the books for two, three, four years. And this allows them to get the green light to start the project.”
The first phase of The Hive will be at the corner of 5th Avenue and Lansdowne Street. It will be five storeys high with 45,000 square feet of office and retail space along with two levels of underground parking.
The vice president of Invictus Properties, Bryan Pilbeam, says they will apply for a building permit right away and so as soon as that’s issued, work on Phase 1 will get underway.
“So this is the initial commercial office building that’s on the corner of 5th and Lansdowne and we have an overall vision which would then come in future phases as the market dictates,” he told NL News.
“But, the construction on the first building is what we do have plans for and what we’re starting immediately. So, April will be the time where we look to go into the ground and start construction and digging.”
Pilbeam says the developers are conscious about parking issues that might be raised, noting it was a key piece of the planning process.
“At this point we have two levels of parking going in, underground parking is very expensive to build, but we think it’s necessary piece. And as we have gone through the entire vision of the entire business park we’ll be mindful of the needs of parking,” Pillbeam noted.
“It will get pinched a little bit, certainly as the construction process happens until the business opens.”
Phase 1 of the project will be anchored by Urban Systems, which will move its head office once the building is up and running. Founded in Kamloops in 1975, Urban Systems will occupy two floors of the building.
“All of us at Urban Systems Kamloops are proud and grateful to be part of creating this new space in our downtown,” said Thérèse Zulinick, the principal of Urban Systems.
“Working for 44 years in our spirited hometown, we have seen our community grow and thrive and are looking forward to experiencing this next chapter. We are thankful to the City of Kamloops for their commitment to the redevelopment of the downtown core.”
Added Kamloops mayor Ken Christian, “The Hive development marks a new chapter for our city and will continue the revitalization of downtown Kamloops. The building and vision for the site will create new business opportunities for companies based in and out of Kamloops, showcasing the quality of life we enjoy in our city.”
The first building is expected to be completed by late-2021.
– With files from Colton Davies and Jeff Andreas