SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A pair of city-owned buildings on 50 Street are one step closer to the wrecking ball after city council approved a recommendation Monday to put the demolition of the buildings to a vote.
Workers were seen pulling down the Corner Mart Plus sign Sunday. Only Fraser "Bear" Trennert, left, provided his name. City council voted on a motion this week to demolish the two city-owned buildings on 50 Street. - Simon Whitehouse/NNSL photo
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City council rejected an alternative recommendation to put the buildings up for sale in hopes of finding a buyer.
The city bought the two buildings – home to the now vacated Corner Mart and Instaloans – and an adjacent parking lot for $975,000 in January of last year. Instaloans left in November after complaining of mice and mildew problems in the building. Corner Mart, a once popular late-night eatery, left in January – six weeks before its lease was up. Last spring, a fuel spill behind the Instaloans building cost the city $52,000 to clean it up.
City councillor Adrian Bell said he doesn't like either option but tearing down the buildings now seems the lesser of two evils. The city estimated in January that the demolition would cost around $200,000.
“I can't agree with putting them on the market but I don't agree with tearing them down,” said Bell, calling the choices “two unappetizing options.
“Given the two choices, I am going to have to vote in favour of the recommendation. I would prefer to see them left.”
Couns. Cory Vanthuyne, Bob Brooks and Dan Wong favour proceeding with demolition, while Coun. Niels Konge, Linda Bussey and Rebecca Alty were against the recommendation, preferring that the buildings put up for sale as soon as possible.
Konge, who called the purchase “the biggest pink elephant the city could have put its hands on” was the most vocal proponent last week of putting the buildings up for sale.
“I would support that land goes up for sale immediately and I don't think the city should be holding onto land,” he said.
“If the intent is to develop, we shouldn't be holding onto it. It should be out there on the market so that we can find out if there is any interest.”
Acting senior administrative officer Dennis Kefalas said, however, that by tearing down the buildings there would be more certainty for potential developers as to what is for sale.
“Right now we have never been approached by anyone to purchase these lots,” he said. “I don't know if there would be anyone in town who would pay with cash outright. It could always be the case, somebody out there that we don't know about.”
At the time of purchase, former mayor Gord Van Tighem suggested this portion of 50 Street would be an ideal location for a low-cost “eco-housing” project but the site has since relocated to an area on 52 Street adjacent to Boston pizza.
Brooks said it would be irresponsible to sell the land as is.
“One of the things that we want to do as a public government, is to make sure that whatever transactions that we do and if we sell land, we don't want to be known to be giving them contaminated land,” he said. “We already know that there are some things that need to be cleaned up or fixed up in the area. I believe by us cleaning it up, not only do we take care of the environmental problem that may or may not exist there, but in addition to that it is a much more attractive piece of property that we want to sell to any developer who wants to accumulate land or who wants to put forward a proposal.”
Jeff Humble, director of planning and development for the city, said environmental contaminants are a concern.
“We need to get an inventory of the building in terms of the asbestos and all those items,” said Humble. “What we need is a demolition plan to ensure those items get properly disposed of.”
