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Colwood developer to relocate CrossRoads pub building

Altered plans for the Capital City Centre project are resulting in rushed plans to move a pub and save a historically significant building.
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League Financial Partners is proposing to relocate a 1936 Tudor-style building at Colwood Corners to Royal Roads University as a part of its Capital City Centre development.

Altered plans for the Capital City Centre project in Colwood are resulting in rushed plans to move a local business and preserve a historically significant building.

League Financial Partners is proposing to move a 1936 Tudor-style building that currently houses the CrossRoads Bar and Grill from Colwood Corners to Royal Roads University.

The building was built to replace the original 1879 Colwood Hotel, which burned down in 1895. Now, as excavation continues on the south end of the Capital City site, the developer is working with the university to have the building moved in its entirety.

League cofounder Adam Gant said that the building is on the future location of the project’s sales centre and eventual entrance to the area from Goldstream Avenue.

“We want to be supportive of the community,” Gant said. “We’ve put a lot of effort into trying to figure it out and find a good solution that would work for all the parties involved.”

Royal Roads is interested in the building for its proposed “Uplands Village” project, which would see a series of four-storey student residences. The university is currently looking for partners in the project and is hoping to begin construction in April 2013.

Royal Roads associate vice president of community relations Paul Corns said that the university is interested in the Tudor building, but how it would be used or where exactly it would go is undecided. The university needs to look into costs before making any commitment, he said.

“We would look at our current capital projects list and the space need requirements of the university,” Corns said. “There are a number of things that would have to connect for us to make it a viable opportunity.”

In the meantime, the building will be moved to an area on Jerome Road and placed on steel I-beams until it can be moved to a permanent location.

CrossRoads owner Mike Spence said he had anticipated having his business in its current location for another two years, but found out about a month ago plans had changed. League has been open and communicative throughout the process, he said, and is helping him to come up with a way to keep CrossRoads operating.

“League’s been really, really good to us and supportive over the last couple of years,” Spence said. “They’re very communicative and trying to do everything they can to keep us on site.”

With March 31 anticipated as the last day CrossRoads can be open in the building, Spence said he is trying to have a new location ready to go in early April, so that he can keep staff employed. CrossRoads has been operating in the building for the past six years and Spence said he hopes he can stay in the area.

The sales centre for the estimated $1-billion project is expected to open this summer. When completed the 14 acre development will be the largest on Vancouver Island and will feature 14 buildings with commercial and residential space, including two highrise towers.

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