More than 20 people attended an information session on the redevelopment of a former church on India Avenue on Wednesday.
Greenwell Asset Management submitted a rezoning application to the City of Prince Rupert to allow for the creation of an executive rooming house at 1433 India Avenue. The group wants to convert the former Bethel First Baptist Church building into an 18 suite-rental complex, that would be known as Moutain View Executive Suites. One of the suites would be reserved for an onsite manager.
Geoff Greenwell of Greenwell Asset Management reiterated the complex would initially be an accommodation for executives, senior management and consultants working in Prince Rupert on some of the proposed LNG projects during their construction phase, and would later become a semi-assisted complex for seniors.
"[The executive] market will come and go with the construction phase. It's not going to last forever, it's a short-term market. It will help to capitalize on that short-term market to help offset some of the initial capital outlay," Greenwell said, adding this would make it possible to have a lower rent for seniors later on.
Greenwell noted the group would move forward with the construction of an independent seniors facility if none of the proposed LNG projects go ahead.
Prince Rupert city council gave the project its first reading on Feb. 10, asking the developer to hold an information session before coming back for a second reading.
Greenwell said 22 people stopped by for the March 4 information session, with "99 per cent of the comments" being positive.
"We had no negative comments. Whenever you do a rezoning you expect some negative comments, but there really weren't any," he said, adding some of the property's closest neighbours attended and were supportive.
"People liked the fact that someone was going to clean up the building and put something really nice in the neighbourhood."
However, Greenwell said parking was a concern for some.
"The site can contain 18 spaces and we're proposing 17 suites ... We've done the site plan based on the city's specifications for the size of a parking space," he said, noting there is more room for spaces behind the building.
Greenwell Asset Management would invest $1.5 million in the project, which Greenwell said would create $1 million of spin-off income for local builders, suppliers and contractors during its construction phase.
Greenwell said other benefits include infilling an existing property while also increasing the tax revenue for the city, along with creating two full-time jobs during the executive phase and four or five full-time positions when its turned into a seniors complex.
Construction of the project is scheduled to take six months, with Greenwell Asset Management hoping to begin work in early April 2015.