Spring start planned for Princess build

Construction of an 80-unit residential complex on a long-vacant property in Brandon’s downtown will start next spring, the property owner says.

J.B. Brar, who owns the empty lot at the intersection of Ninth Street and Princess Avenue, said the residential units will be a mix of affordable and market housing. The complex will also include about 300 to 400 square feet of commercial space.

The mixed-use development is the right way to go with the property and will be good for the area, Brar said.

“It’ll obviously bring people and business downtown, and I think some fresh development downtown obviously adds to the area, and hopefully it brings more,” Brar, who also owns The Town Centre on the east side of Ninth Street, told the Sun on Monday.

City officials said in June 2025 that crews were supposed to break ground for the project the following fall, but Brar said that timeline was not correct.

Brar praised the city’s co-operative approach.

“They’re helping out, and they’re trying to bring more people in, and I think it’s a step in the right direction, for sure,” he said.

Ryan Nickel, the city’s director of planning and buildings, said the spring timeline does “seem reasonable” as the city’s intent is to have permits issued by the end of the year.

Under the city’s funding agreement for the project, all development cost charges will be offset for the site, property taxes will be frozen for 20 years, and the developer will receive a cash grant of between $10,000 and $20,000 for each market housing unit built.

The agreement is tied to the federal government’s Housing Accelerator Fund.

Nickel said the project aligns with city’s strategies for the downtown.

“Strategically, this is a very good thing for the city,” Nickel said. “This has … been a vacant site for many years with multiple different options explored on it. This is the most recent one that’s being explored, and we’re hopeful that this will proceed and be another one of those key priority sites that leads to meaningful change downtown.”

Newly elected Ward 2 Coun. Deveryn Ross, whose ward covers the site, said the news of a spring groundbreaking is “encouraging,” though he added people have heard that before and he hopes it’s real this time.

“If it is for real, then it’s a good step towards not just revitalizing downtown, but re-energizing downtown,” Ross said on Monday.

“That’s an important corner, and to see construction happening there, I think, will be a real boost of confidence, and perhaps it could start a trend at other locations downtown (and) send a message that downtown is a place that people should believe in.”

Ross said it’s “discouraging” how the location has been left vacant since 2013, adding that seeing the lot sit empty is a “real downer.”

The former Brandon Inn shuttered in 2011 due to health and safety issues. Cost of demolition and asbestos removal two years later topped $1 million.

Ross said construction at the site could build momentum for the neighbourhood.

“A vacant lot is doing nobody any good. It’s not doing (the owner) any good. It’s not doing the city any good, and we need to create some positive momentum here. And breaking ground at Ninth and Princess would be a great way to start that,” Ross said.

Brandon Downtown Development Corporation executive director Emmanuel Ahaneku said Monday that the 80 units would be “huge” for the city. The project, along with the 72-unit Eddy Residences going up a handful of blocks away on Pacific Avenue, would help “catalyze the downtown” for market housing, he said.

Ahaneku said it’s his understanding that the complex will consist of 50 single-bedroom units, 25 two-bedroom units and five three-bedroom units. The commercial area will be on the first floor.

Currently, not a lot happens after 5 p.m. downtown, Ahaneku said, and this build would help turn that around. He likes the mix of commercial and residential space, as it can guarantee more traffic for businesses.

“We need investor confidence. We need developers’ confidence. A property like that would help. It would help spike the investor interest in the downtown,” Ahaneku said.

He noted that how parking will be managed will also need to be considered.

» alambert@brandonsun.com