By Lyonel Doherty

Times-Chronicle

The Town of Oliver envisions 20 affordable housing units, commercial space and a new municipal hall on Main Street.

That was the talk on Monday during a council meeting in Frank Venables Theatre.

Council approved a $40,000 budget amendment to apply for a government grant for an approximately $10 million mixed-use development on three town-owned lots at 6219, 6225 and 6231 Main Street.

Randy Houle, director of development services, said relocating the Town Hall and council chambers will improve access and services for residents.

He noted the idea is to develop a four-storey, mixed-use Town Hall building with residential units (above) and featuring a “commercial incubator” or office space.

“The Downtown Action Plan engagement (in 2017) found a high level of support for the Town of Oliver to play a more active role in downtown development on town-owned lots,” Houle said.

He explained that the main storey will feature approximately 5,000 square feet of commercial space along with four dwelling units at the rear of the building. The second storey will feature 9,000 square feet of municipal office space. The top two floors will feature approximately 16 units of affordable housing (primarily three-bedroom units).

There will be one level of underground parking.

Houle outlined many benefits of the proposal. For example, he stated the

development will prompt more people to visit downtown, which will see more people spending money in Oliver.

He also noted the existing visitor centre could be repurposed for tourism-type use, such as a bike rental shop or café.

Houle added the ground floor commercial units could include a restaurant, daycare centre or wine tasting room.

The development could also spur other proposals on the old Mesa Hotel site or the Sabyan lot, he said.

Councillor Aimee Grice said she is really excited about the proposal, while Mayor Martin Johansen said it has a lot of potential and certainly worth $40,00.

The $40,000 will be used to hire an architect and a development consultant who specializes in BC Housing grants. The town hopes to take advantage of these grants to help pay for the project.