Rending of what 1 Commercial St., wedged between Terminal Ave. and Wallace St., will look like once it's refurbished over the next several months.  (Colin Harper Architect)

By Ian Holmes

notable project

Crews now reshaping downtown Nanaimo’s long-closed A&B Sound building

Jan 9, 2024 | 5:26 AM

NANAIMO — Silent since 2008, a strategic downtown Nanaimo property is expected to be vibrant once again by as soon as later this year.

With a required building permit awarded by the City of Nanaimo in mid November, a contractor has been on-site refurbishing the property into a multi tenanted building, including a ground-level walk-through market hub.

Jake Steiner, director of Steiner Properties, said while there was frustration to transform the site sooner, they needed to take their time and invest how and when it made sense.

“We’ve seen a lot of other developers face tough times right now, so I feel like we’re fortunate that we bite off as much as we can chew and so a number of factors play into that decision.,” Steiner told NanaimoNewsNOW.

The building’s exterior will remain, but will be greatly enhanced, with Steiner noting the existing structure comprising of several buildings joined together will be completely modernized and topped with a new roof.

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Projection of what the former Nanaimo A&B Sound building in Nanaimo viewed from Terminal Ave.will look like post-construciton. (Colin Harper Architect/NanaimoNewsNOW animation)

A restaurant will anchor the bottom floor, with the potential for a second restaurant to be included downstairs, Steiner noted.

He expects their primary contractor will be finished this summer and that tenants will begin occupying their respective spaces by late this year.

A Nanaimo version of a Granville Island-style market with an internal breezeway corridor will house several retail outlets which will be in the range of 800 to 900 sq/ft in size each, he said.

“I feel confident that it was an interesting approach that I feel the City and community will respond to and hopefully we’ll get a great mix of tenants in there very soon.”

He said businesses such as unique food, wellness and clothing retailers are envisioned tenants for the market.

Steiner said their investment fits well with investments by the City to overhaul Terminal Ave. as well as Commercial St. to make the downtown core a more appealing, pedestrian friendly place to be.

He noted two to three office spaces for 1 Commercial St. are planned for the top floor to be accessed off Wallace St.

“We did have it earmarked for a daycare, just based on the lack of providers in the downtown are, but it really depends on who’s in the market at the time that we complete the project,” Steiner said.

Steiner Properties has redeveloped other former A&B Sound locations in Victoria, east Vancouver and Calgary.

Nanaimo coun. Tyler Brown said his council colleagues and City staff are excited that plans to reform the former A&B Sound location are moving forward.

He described 1 Commercial St. as “an important building and an important corner” in the city’s downtown.

“Downtown is not without its challenges, but when we’re seeing the type of development both commercial and importantly residential, that’s going to mean people living downtown able to support existing businesses, potentially new businesses,” Brown said.

An animation of the proposed changes to the Wallace St. and Commercial St. frontages of the former A&B Sound building in downtown Nanaimo. (Colin Harper Architect/NanaimoNewsNOW animation)

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ian.holmes@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes