Construction equipment company Xtend Rentals has purchased the property where Chakalaka Restaurant and Market operated.
“After a very long and arduous process, our next goal is officially on its way to becoming a reality thanks entirely to each and every one of you,” Xtend Rentals owner Bill Robinson said in a Facebook post.
Xtend Rentals currently operates two locations, at 1030 Oyster Bay Dr. in Ladysmith and 1910 East Wellington Rd. in Nanaimo. Robinson said the new Xtend Rentals location will have 10,000 square feet of buildings and more than 1.2 hectares of land.
“We want to build you a destination machine, tool, landscape supply, and garden centre like no one has ever seen,” he said. “This one will have a couple of Airbnb rentals, maybe a café, small engine repairman, chain saw equipment, used machinery dealer and consignment, and so much more.”
Robinson said he takes possession of the property on Aug. 1 and the opening is set for Aug. 20.
The property, at 13230 Trans-Canada Highway, gained notoriety in April when former owner Dick Deschamps operated his restaurant without a COVID-19 safety plan and defied Island Health orders. Local residents also claimed the property had become a nuisance after some 20 RVs occupied the land.
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Island Health found that accommodations made for the RVs contravened the Drinking Water Protection Act and the Public Health Act. Island Health sought an injunction against Deschamps to shut down his operation.
