AFTER much anticipation, construction of a five-storey, 100-room hotel and condominium development called Sunshine Inn Executive Suites, to be located beside Kalum Tire on Hwy16 and extending back over two lots to Lazelle Ave., has started.
A Houston-based construction company Hansma Construction is in town to do the work have been busy clearing the site and installing the casings for an elevator.
Smithers-based Sunshine developer Kim Tran was also in town getting his building permit in order and getting things arranged with Hansma, who has worked for Tran before.
Workers are staying in the white house that occupies the Lazelle lot and they will sleep in there until later in the project when they will tear the house down and put in a parking lot.
Tran has gone through the process before, having built Sunshine Inn hotels in Smithers, Houston, and Burns Lake.
Henry Hansma from Hansma Construction said foundation work will follow once the clearing has been completed.
“Should be a two summer, one winter job,” said Hansma.
There will also be a restaurant included in the development which will front the highway.
Tran purchased the land for the development more than a year ago and has been developing his plans since then.
The building will be wood-framed and could very well be the tallest structure of its kind to be built here.
The provincial building code was changed in 2009 to allow wooden structures to be six storeys tall.
