Spring opening eyed for delayed BC Housing-owned Kamloops apartment

BC Housing wants to open its fire-damaged Kamloops apartment building by May. That will be more than two years after it bought the 435 Cherry Ave building for $13 million.

The 42-unit apartment was the scene of a fire in January 2021 and it's remained vacant ever since. Now looking for developers to bid on repair work, the Crown agency wants construction to start by Nov. 1.

Some of the work needed includes electrical, heating, cooling and security upgrades, according to provincial government bidding documents.

READ MORE: 'I think it's wrong:' Vernon adds another fee to developers building much-needed housing

Little, if any, renovation work was done from the time the 2021 fire ousted its residents to when BC Housing bought it in April 2023. The plan was to spend $500,000 on repairs and open it to tenants by that fall.

The province said the apartment building would have "otherwise been redeveloped and converted to for-profit housing" in a news release announcing the purchase.

“To succeed in life, people need a place to call home, and we are making sure that more people in Kamloops have that today with this purchase,” Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon said in the release.

READ MORE: Build Kamloops counter petition campaigners break their silence

BC Housing later said the renovations were delayed because the seller didn't do certain repairs stipulated in the contract. The province held back $250,000 of the purchase in response.

A burst pipe last winter caused further damage, which similarly happened to another BC Housing project in North Kamloops in 2021 when the Fortune Motel fell behind schedule. One of the motel's two buildings had to be torn down, taking 12 suites away from what would later open as a supportive housing facility.

The initial budget of $500,000 in renovations for the Cherry Avenue apartment has since gone up more than five times, last estimated at $2.7 million.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Levi Landry or call 250-819-3723 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here.