Langley City will spend $556,000 to demolish four buildings it owns near city hall, including the site where the old Langley Hotel and a pawn shop stand unoccupied, as well as the former Avecina Medical Clinic and pharmacy, and a small mall that used to house Pipe ’n’ Pouch and Pastime Sports.
The contract with RDM Enterprises was approved Monday, Nov. 6.
In his online blog, City Mayor Nathan Pachal said once the demolition is done, the sites will be used for temporary parking, to make up for the loss of spaces elsewhere.
Long term, “the City plans to use the land around City hall and Timms Community Centre to expand them and to build a performing arts centre,” Pachal said.
Fences are up at three of the buildings, and a statement released by the City in response to an Advance Times query said the structures “will be demolished over the coming months.”
In addition to parking, it said the cleared sites will be used for “tactical urbanism elements, which may include the creation of new active and passive recreational opportunities.”
It’s part of the City plan to prepare for the arrival of SkyTrain, under the Nexus of Community Visioning Plan and the Downtown Master Plan, the unsigned statement said.
“The City has strategically acquired the properties adjacent to City hall/Timms Community Centre to create a civic precinct and an entertainment district as per the visioning plan.”
READ ALSO: Big changes coming for Langley as SkyTrain approaches
READ ALSO: Langley City council approves $15-M loan proposal