Three vacant buildings along Courtenay’s riverfront are set to be demolished this summer.
The City of Courtenay said demolition of the former Anderton Arms, Cona Hostel, and the Bridge Lounge will start this month and is expected to be completed by the end of August.
City Mayor Bob Wells said they’ve received lots of questions about when the removal of the buildings would begin.
“We’re glad to be moving to this step, it’s an important one in the wide-ranging work underway to improve our downtown core.”
The former nightclub Bridge Lounge building has been under city possession since 2016, while the Anderton Arms apartment building and the Cona Hostel were taken ownership of last year.
Demolishing the buildings is the first step in removing the failing retaining wall, with the building foundations to be left in place and fenced off for safety for now.
A future phase of the project will have the wall removed and the shoreline naturalized.
A traffic pattern change will occur along Anderton Avenue during construction but won’t impact 5th Street and the 5th Street Bridge.
Details about closures will be shared on the project webpage and social media when they become available.
