A historic downtown building owned by Prince George Mayor Simon Yu has garnered its fair share of attention due to its current condition.
The property that is being talked about can be found at 3rd Avenue and Dominion Street and has been owned by Yu since 2014.
During an exclusive interview, Yu told MyPGNow.com a lot of time and sweat equity has been invested into it with the upgrading process a work in progress.
“I have been heating that building. I have spent lots and lots of money trying to upgrade the structure and to make sure the building doesn’t does not fall over into Dominion Street. I had to re-do the entire foundation from the inside-out.”
“I had to shore up the building internally and pour a concrete foundation and primarily tried to save it as a historic relic for Prince George because it’s probably one of our oldest buildings.”
Based on the latest information Yu has obtained, the building was constructed sometime between 1908 and 1912 – prior to Prince George becoming an incorporated city, which occurred on March 6th, 1915.
“I recognized it as a historic value because we do not have too many decent older buildings left in this part of the world.”
“I want to leave it as a museum piece for the city and build around it if necessary. (The building) next door also had a fire and I want to see what they are going to be building there too so maybe we can build something they’re too complimentary to next door. That insurance case, by my understanding, has not gotten settled yet. I am awaiting a few pieces to resolve.”
Prior to some before and after pictures sent to MyPGNow regarding the progress being made on the building, many people with connections to the downtown have wondered why it has not been classified as an unsightly building.
Under the city’s current bylaw, which has not been updated since 2012, an unsightly building consists of the following:
(a) the accumulation of Refuse, garbage, Graffiti, discarded materials, filth or Derelict Vehicles;
(b) fencing materials that are broken, rotting, contain holes or cracks, or are rusted or covered with peeling paint;
(c) landscaping plants, bushes and trees that are dead or are demonstrating uncontrolled growth;
(d) building or structure or parts thereof that contain holes, breaks, rot or that is crumbling or cracking, or is covered with rust or peeling paint or any other evidence of physical decay or neglect or excessive use or lack of maintenance;
(e) any other similar conditions or disrepair and deterioration regardless of the condition of other properties in the neighbourhood.
Prior to becoming mayor, Yu utilized the building as a consulting office.
While Yu admitted there are no formal business plans in place now, he hinted it could be transformed into a music studio or office space.
“I have no specific business plans so to speak. I am awaiting the opportunity to renovate it, perhaps for a music studio or turn it into an office for somebody else or to see whether my boys want to operate that place, which could be music-related or something to do with the offices.”
“That is going to happen soon and this summer, I do intend to improve the exterior.”
Once complete, Yu said it will be the first domino in giving a facelift to the Dominion/George Street section of PG’s downtown core.
“Rebuilding 3rd Avenue and that corner is my dream. Before and after having shown the significant amount of work that has been going there. But it is getting to the point where I cannot keep going there and keep fixing windows that keep getting broken. This is the third time a window has been broken in the front.”
“This is one stretch from Dominion to George Street where we need to fix things up but at the same time, we need to see where the social services will set up shop so that everybody will have a better atmosphere to do their business for the clientele, they engage themselves in.”
However, one thing you won’t see going into the historic structure is a new restaurant.
“I don’t have any intention of putting in a restaurant or anything of that nature. We just had The Firm close due to a lack of business activity.”
Yu also pointed the finger at the Canadian banking system, suggesting it’s very adverse to risk ultimately leaving very little financing available for small businesses in small buildings.
“Most restaurants probably aren’t going to get financed to start up and no bank will risk that – so you really build the business from your own sweat equity from the ground up. There is very little financing available. So, until I can present a significant business case to a bank, I will probably have to use my own resources. There are plans but they are not concrete plans so to speak.”
Yu also noted this isn’t the only vacant building downtown. In February of 2020, Northern Hardware closed its doors on 3rd Avenue after being in business for 100 years.
As for the topic of unsightly buildings, former mayor Lyn Hall and his previous two city councils took a proactive approach to clean up derelict properties.
The city swung with an iron fist in 2015 ordering the cleanup of such places like the Lombardi Trailer Park, and a laundromat that was previously located on 231-233 George Street (the cost of the work was $72,000).
In 2016, Hall and his council continued this work by targeting homes on Spruce Street, Mytting Road, and Richet Street.
The most high-profile incident that year was the indefinite closure of the Connaught Motor Inn (now known as the North Star Inn).
The facility had its business license revoked in May of that year. Crime in that area reduced by 67% during this period.
It was so bad a Worksafe BC spokesperson told the council the building posed a health risk to its workers through mold and asbestos.
The facility was eventually sold to Ron Mundi who renamed it the North Star Inn, reopening to the public in June of 2018.
In October of 2020, council declared a home located on 1103 Chilako Avenue that was destroyed by fire a nuisance.
The residence saw $400,000 worth of damage, leaving one man dead and three in hospital.
Lastly, a property on 2677 Vance Road was declared a nuisance that required remedial action.