The City of Kamloops has unanimously agreed to sell a portion of the 400-block of Nicola Street and an adjacent downtown alleyway to the Kelson Group for $1.2 million.

That is according to a city memo released today, Feb. 1, though that decision was made in a closed council meeting almost a year ago, on April 20, 2021.

Council voted 7-0 in favour of the sale of 16,000 square-feet. of Nicola Street and 8,000 square-feet of the adjacent laneway between Fourth and Fifth Avenues to make way for the massive City Garden’s project.

Both Councillors Mike O’Reilly and Arjun Singh declared conflicts of interest – O’Reilly because he owns property nearby and Singh because he owns rental apartment properties in Kamloops.

The City says the sale is subject to the Kelson Group granting statutory rights-of-way for municipal infrastructure as well as public access to Nicola Street “as required.” It is also subject to the City Gardens project proceeding as approved by the City.

First announced in Sept. 2020, and revised in March, the massive 525-unit development in downtown Kamloops will comprise of a 24-storey and a 20-storey high rise building as well as four mid-rise buildings, each with six storeys.

According to plans released by the Kelson Group, there will be a mix of one, two, three, and four-bedroom units, some of which will be sold as market strata units with about 200 to be operated as rental units. There will also be some commercial space on the ground floor of the two high-rise towers.

Kelson Group President, Jason Fawcett, told NL News that they plan to build, market, and sell the 24-storey tower first, with construction on an 800-car parkade set to begin in March.

More to come