Brandon Sun - PRINT EDITION
The former Brandon Inn building on Ninth Street has been vacant since the spring of 2011, after health and safety concerns forced its closure. (FILE PHOTO)
A century-old "eyesore" at the corner of Ninth Street and Princess Avenue will be demolished by the end of the year.
The former Brandon Inn building has been vacant since the spring of 2011, after health and safety concerns forced its closure.
"There were health and safety issues that were a concern because of leaks and that type of stuff in the roof, and as a result of that, and with the building being vacant, there could be mould growth," said Ted Snure, the city’s general manager of development services.
The city acquired the dilapidated building — which was built prior to 1913 — through a tax sale last fall. Snure said the building is beyond repair, and demolishing it is necessary to ensure public safety.
"Because of the building construction, there will be things like asbestos that wrapped around the pipes, there will be ballasts in the fluorescent lights that have to be handles, as well as the fluorescent tubes themselves," Snure said.
"So it’s those types of typical building stuff that we’ve got to make sure is handled properly."
The first step in the demolition process of the former hotel/restaurant/vendor will be an evaluation to determine if any of the building’s contents can be salvaged.
Hotel room doors and kitchen equipment are some of the items that Snure says may be saved.
Crews will spend July and August removing those items, as well as materials considered to be hazardous.
A tender for demolition is expected in the fall and the building should be down by the end of the year.
Soil testing will be conducted before a new project begins on the land. The city hopes to have the property ready for the market by early 2013.
Snure said there are "no immediate plans" for the property, but will be working with Renaissance Brandon to determine the best option.
Braden Pilling, downtown development specialist with Renaissance Brandon, said he is pleased to see a timeline is set for the demolition process.
"It’s one of those things where you don’t want to see vacant buildings, especially in a prominent area like where the Brandon Inn sits right now," he said. "It is really an eyesore, not that vacant land or gravel lots are any better, but at least that brings us closer to a redevelopment project."
Pilling said the property is in the arts and entertainment district in their land use plan, so they would like to see "anything arts, recreational or entertainment based."
"Our goal, and not necessarily just for this site, but certainly a hotel is near the top of the list for downtown," Pilling said.
Pilling said a convention centre, indoor splash park or a bowling alley are some other ideas.
"It would be a nice balance if it was more along the lines of family use. Brandon is a big family town, and there’s not a lot of family-orientated things to do besides sports," he said. "We would want to have something certainly complementary to other things that are in town, but we want to create a destination venue of some sort that will attract people to the area."
Republished from the Brandon Sun print edition June 5, 2012
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A century-old "eyesore" at the corner of Ninth Street and Princess Avenue will be demolished by the end of the year.
The former Brandon Inn building has been vacant since the spring of 2011, after health and safety concerns forced its closure.
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A century-old "eyesore" at the corner of Ninth Street and Princess Avenue will be demolished by the end of the year.
The former Brandon Inn building has been vacant since the spring of 2011, after health and safety concerns forced its closure.
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