Downtown Building Shuffle

By 250 News

CIty Furniture building at 2nd and Dominion will be vacant by the end of the year, so search  is on for new tenant ( photo opinion250 staff)    

Word  yesterday that City Furniture was moving into  the  former home of the “Brick” on Third Avenue  was welcome news for downtown Prince George, but what about the building  that has been home to City Furniture?

Emri Group which owns the Brick building has purchased the structure at 2^nd and Dominion as part of the deal to have City Furniture move into the former home of the Brick.  Ian Duke of Emri Group says they are already working on finding a new tenant for what will soon be the former home of City Furniture.  “We have been talking to some potential tenants for that building already” says Duke.  He says Emri envisions having one or two retailers or a business office develop in the   City Furniture site at 2^nd and Dominion.

So how is it that Emri  can make things happen?  “We are very financially motivated” says Duke, “We can focus on one project, like finding a tenant for the Brick building.  It took us nearly a year to find a new tenant.” He says it was important to find a new tenant as having a building of that importance go “dark” could have had a major negative impact on the downtown.

Duke says Emri has a great deal of faith in downtown Prince George “Already we are seeing a kind of renaissance happening on Third Avenue.  There are some small boutiques opening up on the west end of Third near Victoria, there are some fine restaurants and we think retailers will be drawn back to the downtown.”

Duke says the economy will make downtown Prince George more attractive. “The cost of construction, land, and the shortage of trades is making existing buildings more attractive, and we think there will be more retailers moving into the downtown area.”

Certainly the incentives being offered by City Hall can’t hurt, as there are significant tax breaks for those who make major upgrades to their buildings in the downtown area.  Duke says there are still some challenges for downtown to deal with, but he is confident the challenges will be met.

Emri also owns the Achillion  Restaurant, and two apartment buildings in the downtown area.  The Achillion is being leased back to the restaurant operator and that is a long term lease so no changes are planned there.   

Email | Print | Facebook | Twitter | Digg | Del.icio.us