29 April 2009
E&N Station Restoration Ready to Go
Nanaimo station.
Nanaimo Vancouver Island British Columbia - The
owners of Nanaimo's historic E&N train station are presenting a unique opportunity for businesses.
The Island Corridor Foundation is recruiting companies to do business in a fully restored heritage train station nestled in the heart
of the Old City Quarter, alongside traffic from the E&N railway.
Doug Backhouse, ICF executive director, said the final designs for the $2.5-million project are complete and approved by
Parks Canada as suitable for a historic site restoration.
"We're basically where we could start the development process," he said. "The one thing that is missing is we need to
find some market tenants for the building."
Backhouse said more than $800,000 of the money needed is expected to come from VIA Rail's insurance. The rest of the restoration will
be financed through a commercial mortgage and lease agreements for 5,500 square feet of commercial and office space in the station.
In August 2007, a fire partially gutted the 88-year-old station on Selby Street.
Fire officials determined the early morning blaze was arson. VIA Rail, which leased the building to use as a waiting area for train
passengers, confirmed its insurance would cover the damage.
The foundation took the opportunity to jump-start plans to fully restore the aging building.
"It's a true heritage restoration, but all of the building's systems will be upgraded," Backhouse said. "It's going to
be quite a nice space when we're done. As soon as we get these leases in place, the project will be off and running."
The central portion of the station will still be a waiting area for train passengers. Backhouse said it's a golden opportunity for
retailers to take advantage of this traffic as well as Old City Quarter shoppers.
He said the foundation also expects traffic from the E&N rail line to increase significantly in coming years.
The province is conducting a $500,000 study to determine the costs and viability of upgrading the rail line infrastructure for
increased freight and passenger travel.
Backhouse said anything tourism-related would be a good fit for the building.
Interested tenants can contact him at 250-739-3628 or backhouse@hblanarc.ca.
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