It’s been a long road to construction for an old downtown Mission building in an important location.
Renovations on the former Bellevue Hotel were stalled for years after discovering a gas station once operated on the property.
However, improvements to the building are now well underway.
“It’s been a long slog through many levels of government and dealing with the environmental problem that was undisclosed when we bought it,” project partner Ken Brookes said.
When the building was purchased over a decade ago, Brookes says the previous use wasn’t disclosed. The fallout has been both costly and time-consuming.
“It’s just been an albatross around our necks,” Brookes said. “It’s a great relief and I think the Downtown Business Association feels the same because it’s just been a blank space for so long.”
The property is cleaned up and now complies with the provincial regulations.
The location will become Cheeky’s Cannabis, one of Mission’s three originally approved Cannabis dispensaries. It will also yield 26 small apartments that will be rented in the open market with the rest of the building set for commercial use.
Brookes says the building will be stunning. It will be bigger and better at roughly 3,800 square feet. An outdoor camping theme for the building will also feature a restored pop-up camper from the early ’70s.
Brookes says the exterior of the building will be a more modern take on what’s there.
“Of course, we’re replacing the entire exterior and the windows, so there are certainly structural considerations to be taken into account,” he said.
The store will open as soon as life safety aspects are completed for the whole building. Timelines for completion and opening aren’t yet concrete.
The Cheeky’s Cannabis location will have a large selection of cannabis products. The business is also asking the City of Mission for quicker turnover on some of the nearby parking to have 15-minute stalls for “herb-side” pickup.
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