Large structures covered in white material have been set up on the former Mayfair Lanes property in Saanich, the first activity on a site that has been largely vacant for 16 years.
The 3.38-acre property went on the market last year at an unspecified price. Landowner Loblaw Properties West Inc. is aiming to become a tenant with a 100,000-square-foot grocery store on the site. Loblaw owns the Real Canadian Superstore chain.
Marcus and Millichap of Vancouver have been marketing the property, describing it as a high-density, mixed-use development opportunity. Curtis Leonhardt, first vice-president of investments with the real estate firm, had no comment this week. A Loblaw spokesperson could not be reached.
The property, assessed at $21.89 million, falls within the Uptown Douglas community plan, which anticipates several thousand additional residents within the next decade in that corridor.
Saanich Mayor Fred Haynes suspects the current activity on the site is potential buyers doing their due diligence. The property could host some commercial space and perhaps a grocery store, he said.
Haynes hopes any buyer would consider adding services such as a daycare, doctors’ offices and other health-care outlets, noting the area is expected to be home for up to 8,000 additional residents within the next decade.
Pocket parks and green spaces are also on Haynes’ wish list.
“We are trying to do three things. We are trying to help save the planet, help address climate change, and help in a way to save families with children and without children from the stresses of living in a more complex environment.”
Mayfair Lanes operated for 40 years on the property, drawing bowlers from throughout the region before closing in 2006. Loblaw demolished the building.
