Construction of a two-storey commercial building is underway on the former site of the Triad Racquet Club, which has sat vacant since the club burned down in 1991.
In 2002 city council authorized the Prince George Judo Association to build a judo training facility on the site, located on Kinsmen Place and Fifth Avenue. However, city real estate manager Ian Wells said the judo club was unable to raise the money to build the training centre, so the city sold the land in 2009 for $284,550.
A numbered company operated by two local dentists, Dr. Mira Perkovic and Dr. Jose Lopez, purchased the land and are building a dental clinic and commercial building, architect Charles Maddison said.
Maddison is a partner of Vancouver-based Boni Maddison Architects which is overseeing the project.
"The basement itself is a basement and two-storey commercial building. The basement is day lit on Fifth Avenue," Maddison said. "The ground floor will have up to three small [commercial] tenants. The upper floor is a purpose-built dental clinic."
The foundation of the 13,500 sq. foot building has been completed, and construction of the steel framework is expected to be complete in about three weeks, Maddison said.
"We're hoping to have the building
complete by June," he said.
City land for sale
New development may soon be coming to another long-vacant plot of land in the city. The City of Prince George is selling a 16.85 acre plot of land on the north end of Barnes Road in College Heights, Wells said.
"We've owned this property for years, since at least the 1970s," Wells said. "We've had some interest in it."
Because of the strong interest in the property, the city is seeking bids from developers through B.C. Bid, a clearinghouse for public sector contracts in the province.
"We've done this before when there is a lot of interest," Wells said.
The city originally acquired the land as part of its mandate to identify and prepare areas for residential development, Wells said.
Demand for new homes in the College Heights area has created demand for the property, he said.
"It was a good time to market this
property," Wells said.
