The developer planning a significant housing project in downtown Kamloops says many of the heritage homes in that area could be relocated.

The Kelson Group says 20 homes would have to be removed to pave the way for City Gardens, along Battle Street, Nicola Street and 5th Avenue. Of those, the company says 12 are able to be moved if there are willing homebuyers

President Jason Fawcett said the company is working with Nickel Bros House Moving who would move any of the homes.

The homes available to be bought are between 420 and 461 Nicola Street, 435 and 461 Battle Street, and 520 and 576 5th Avenue.

“Even though prices for these particular houses start as low as $75,000 with the move, we always want to be realistic with people,” Jeremy Nickel said, a partner with Nickel Bros House Moving. “These are used homes and will require work, but even before those considerations, there are many requirements that come into play such as the proximity, location, and the route to get to the house’s new destination to take into account.

“Once we have those details ironed out and the deal is done, saving a house from demolition is exciting, and our hard-working team gets to work.”

According to BC Assessment, the 12 homes that are able to be moved were built between 1905 and 1928, with 10 of those being built before 1915.

Fawcett said as much material as possible will be salvaged from the other eight homes that can’t be moved, which would be repurposed with guidance from the Kamloops Museum and Archives and the Kamloops Heritage Commission.

For the other 12 homes, Fawcett said his company will work closely with Nickel Bros to “reduce the costs of saving each house for those who are interested in making a purchase.” Earlier this year, Fawcett said Kelson Group would pay $50,000 to help relocate any of the older homes that could be moved.

The proposal to potentially relocate older homes on the block comes as Fawcett said that Kelson Group heard, through public information sessions on City Gardens, preserving those homes was an area of concern for locals.

“Our collaboration with Nickel Bros is a good news story for our development… We are excited to see what kind of interest is there from homeowners, societies, municipalities, and others for these houses,” he said.

For those interested in buying one of the heritage homes, Kelson Group says more information can be found online by clicking here, and it says prospective homeowners have until Nov. 30 to finalize a sale.

Fawcett said a development permit application has now been made to the City of Kamloops for the City Gardens project, and he says the goal is to break ground early next year.

The housing project proposes to have just over 500 multi-family housing units, which would include a 22-storey and 18-storey tower. Those would become the tallest buildings in Kamloops; currently, the 14-storey TRU Residence is the tallest structure in the city.

Housing units will be a mix of market and rental housing, and Kelson Group says it stands to spend at least $160 million if the project is approved, and the buildout would take an estimated six-to-seven years.