Notification of Butler Auto and RV's intention to close on Friday/via Facebook
One of the longest-running commercial operations on the Kamloops North Shore is officially shutting down Friday after nearly 50 years in operation.
Butler Auto and RV is closing its doors after being at the site on Tranquille at Wilson Street since 1976.
The company’s web page indicates the ownership does not intend to continue its operations elsewhere, but has not indicated a rationale for the decision.
“The master franchisee has pulled the business,” noted North Shore Business Improvement Association Executive Director Jeremy Heighton when asked about the status of the operation by Radio NL. “What we’re just trying to ascertain now is whether that will mean a development by that holding group, or whether the property will come up on the market.”
Heighton argues housing would be the best option for the site.
Butler Auto and RV lot/via Victor Kaisar
“The North Shore neighborhood plan clearly identified that auto dealerships on the Tranquille corridor is not the best use of the property. Densification and housing is a better use,” argues Heighton.
“As much as we lament the closure of any business on the North Shore – it does happen – we also understand that it is actually good for the community from a housing and from a densification perspective.”
The land, valued by the BC Assessment Authority at around $2.5 million, is already adjacent to a lot set up for a new housing development.
That City of Kamloops approved the rezoning of that lot at 156 Tranquille for a 6 story, 98 unit rental building last year.
