16 March 2011

Three Line Up with Bids for CPR Terminal

Victoria Vancouver Island British Columbia - According to the Provincial Capital Commission, the Maritime Museum of B.C., Oak Bay Marine Group, and Landeca Services were the only companies to submit formal proposals to the commission before the 2 p.m. deadline Tuesday.
 
The submissions will be reviewed by a community based evaluation panel, which is expected to make a recommendation to the commission before 12 Apr 2011.
 
The commission has targeted 13 Apr 2011 as the day it will make its final decision, though it has said the date could change.
 
Two of the bidders have made no secret of what they would do with the building. The Maritime Museum wants to move from its current cramped quarters in Bastion Square, while Bob Wright, head of the Oak Bay Marine Group, has visions of a high-tech attraction showcasing First Nations, Victoria, and B.C. history.
 
The third bid, from Landeca, is an unknown.
 
Landeca CEO Michael Dingle said the company is working on behalf of a client and he is unable to offer any detail on who the client is or what they intend to do with the building.
 
"We are a land-use planning firm, we are in the business of helping our clients arrive at the highest and best use of property," said Dingle, who would offer no hint about the identity of his client.
 
Some letter writers to the Times Colonist have suggested the CPR building would be ideal for the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, and the gallery itself has said it would like a downtown location.
 
The Landeca website lists the gallery as one of its causes.
 
Asked if the proposal was submitted on behalf of the gallery, Dingle replied:  "No comment."
 
The terminal building, built in 1924 and home to the Royal London Wax Museum for 40 years until it left the premises last fall, offers 1,951 square metres of space.
 
It is undergoing a $3 million upgrade that includes seismic improvements paid for under the infrastructure stimulus program.
 
Andrew A. Duffy