Work is commencing to prepare a city-owned site in Ladner Village for a potential future hotel that will also have commercial space.
City council last week narrowly voted in favour of issuing an Expression of Interest (EOI) to see if there are developers/hoteliers interested in submitting a summary-level proposal to Delta for the site at Delta and Chisholm streets.
The Ladner Village Hotel Development EOI process has already started and closes on Jan. 31, 2025. Detailed proposals will be sought from one or more proponents on or before Aug. 31, 2025. Final approval and signing of an agreement are expected to occur at the end of 2025, according to Delta staff.
Meanwhile, a report to council notes staff have started site preparation work including hazardous materials demolition surveys to decommission the buildings in phases, starting this October.
Environmental work is also underway across the sites to obtain a Certificate of Compliance from the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy
The phased decommissioning of the buildings will begin with 4918 Delta St, with the third and final building becoming vacant on Feb. 1, 2025.
All demolition work is anticipated to be complete by spring of 2025.
Following demolition, archaeological testing will take place and the foundations will be removed.
At the same time, the engineering department will relocate a watermain that runs between 4926 Delta St. and 4940 Chisholm St.
Overall, site preparation work will occur throughout 2025 and into 2026, after which staff anticipates that a developer would take control of the site, the report notes.
The estimated cost of the initial site preparation work is $600,000, while relocation of the watermain will be included in the city’s proposed 2025 Capital Plan.
Meanwhile, Delta staff will bring forward a bylaw to rezone the properties to align with the Official Community Plan (OCP) and long-term vision for the site, replacing three zoning designations across the properties, which are currently Low Impact Industrial, Public Use and Service Commercial 2.
The business that had been operating there were doing so under temporary use permits.
In an interview following council’s vote last week, Mayor George Harvie, who voted against proceeding with the EOI, said he does not regret the city purchasing the site because redevelopment and revitalization needed to be spurred.
If the hotel plan doesn’t work out, the site could be redeveloped into much-needed housing which would sustain the village even better, he said.
The new Official Community Plan (OCP) designation for the site is Urban Centre (UC).
