The operators of the Kanaka Creek Seniors Lodge, destroyed by two recent fires, plan to rebuild it, and have already begun a rezoning process at city hall for a $10 million, 50,000-square-foot facility.
The rural lodge, at 256th Street and 116th Avenue, had two fires in the past two months. The cause of the latest, which left the facility a pile of rubble, is not known.
The first fire, on Jan. 9, displaced 10 seniors living at the lodge, so it was vacant at the time of last week’s fire. The fire started in a carport, was not considered suspicious, and damaged about a third of the building.
The Feb. 4 early morning fire burned down what was left.
Assistant fire chief Michael Van Dop said the cause of the fire will go down as undetermined. There was no electrical or gas service to the building, it was locked and it was not meant to be occupied, he said.
“The area of origin was completely consumed by fire,” he said.
Van Dop added that investigators “can’t rule out the human element.”
ATL Health and Wellness had applied to have the property rezoned, to allow for a new $10 million, three-storey facility that would allow for an expansion of the business.
Company spokesman Charles Cantos said the company is still proceeding with those plans.
He described them as a “high end” facility, which would integrate the “holistic and natural setting” of the building.
According to rezoning documents filed with the city in early 2015, Kanaka Creek Seniors Lodge offered seniors an affordable housing option – private suites, private bathrooms, three meals per day and 24-hour staffing for $995 per month.
The former lodge, which was about 40 years old, had 18 units, although the site land use contract allows for as many as 38.
Council heard that the proposed new facility would charge significantly higher rents, ranging from $2,500 to $4,500 per mouth.
The new building would be 4,645 square metres, or 50,000 square feet, which is larger than the recent operation, which is limited to 697 square metres, or 7,500 square feet.
In July, council voted to defer the rezoning until it had more information, including a tenant relocation plan, feasibility study and more details about the operation. Councillors expressed reluctance to displace the low-income seniors who were living at the site at the time.
