The Cariboo Lodge in Williams Lake still sits empty despite the City having issued an expression of interest (EOI) for a non-profit housing society to enter into a partnership for its’ redevelopment to help address the City’s affordable housing needs.
Mayor Walt Cobb says the November 2014 EOI is in limbo.
“We need housing, we need affordable housing, we need senior’s housing and hopefully one of the proponents-one of the two that we’ve been talking will come forward and come up with a plan.”
As of Thursday Cobb says one of the proponents who had expressed interest in developing the property into senior’s housing withdrew due to lack of funds.
Cobb says the other proponent-the Salvation Army has expressed interest although it may cost as much as $1 million dollars or more to retrofit the building.
The City acquired the Cariboo Lodge property in 2008 from Interior Health.
It had been vacant for some time and there was considerable damage to the interior of the building.
In 2009 a preliminary building audit identified substantial problems with the two older portions of the building, with limited options for renovation or repair.
The newest portion of the building was leased in 2010 to the Canadian Mental Health Association Cariboo Chilcotin Branch.
In terms of other affordable housing projects Cobb says he know that the second phase for Glen Arbor is done.
” We’re just waiting now pretty much…We’ve reinstituted the building committee and we will be looking at it as soon as the government gives us the details for the funding that they’ve put in this year’s budget.”