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Beljan Development is poised to embark on their largest adaptive reuse project to date, this time, at the former downtown YMCA building on 102A Avenue NW. The aging facility vacated its 120 tenants beginning in 2016, allowing Beljan to take hold of the property in December 2017. Now the developer is moving forward with demolition and abatement work ahead of a $20 million revitalization that will keep the bones of the building and give its skin a much-needed facelift.
The building seemed to be a ripe candidate for demolition. But Beljan, no stranger to making the old new again, sees vast potential in the structure. Hodgson Schlif Evans Architects will inject an assortment of uses into the seven-storey building, which is tentatively scheduled to reopen in the second quarter 2019. Named after YMCA founder Sir George Williams, the upgraded interior will see a ground floor remade from the current fitness and office space configuration to a vibrant food hall, with a collaborative social and dining space greeting the public.
Health and fitness services will be moved up to the second floor, where a gymnasium and multi-purpose area will be located alongside pedway and parkade connections, with boutique offices occupying the third level. The upper components would house 100 studio, one- and two-bedroom micro apartments, ranging from 240 to 450 square feet. It's a similar arrangement to Beljan's Crawford Block development, where a historic old Strathcona building received 40 micro apartments.
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