The derelict Arrowview Hotel in Port Alberni has been sold.
The City of Port Alberni issued a demolition permit on Wednesday, Oct. 9 to new owner Stan Pottie of DJ Excavating, based out of Lantzville. He now has 60 days to complete demolition down to the first floor, according to city CAO Tim Pley.
“The same conditions for the previous owner now apply to the new owner,” Pley added.
The former hotel has a contentious history. It had been sitting empty at the corner of Second Avenue and Athol Street for more than a decade before it was purchased by Ray Letourneau in 2017. Letourneau had plans to fully restore the hotel, but missed a deadline to provide details on his planned remediation, so council voted in 2018 to proceed under the Community Charter to have the building demolished.
Since then, the city has stalled a number of times on demolition, balking at a potential $500,000 price tag.
READ: City of Port Alberni stalls over demolition of Arrowview Hotel
But council’s decision to grant Letourneau one last extension may have paid off, as Pottie has purchased the building with plans to demolish it.
“We heard the news about the conflict with the building and made an offer on the building,” said Pottie. “We could see the value in the lumber.”
Pottie’s plan is to save some of the wood and old antiques (such as bathtubs, doors and coat racks) and either recycle, repurpose or sell them.
“To preserve the history,” he explained. “Rather than see it wasted and end up in a landfill somewhere.”
His ultimate goal is to put up a condominium project on the old land once demolition is completed.
He plans to begin demolition immediately. The city has passed on a structural engineering report and hazardous materials support, said Pley, and the building has been reinforced enough that it’s safe to go inside.
“The city’s concern is safety,” Pottie said. “The city has been awesome to work with so far.”
He added that DJ Excavating has permits to close off some of the surrounding streets once the demolition begins.
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