Light industrial businesses will soon have a new place to call home, as the Seabird Island business park nears the end of its early construction period.
The business park, located across from the Sqéwqel Gas Bar on Lougheed Highway, has been in the works for more than six years.
In 2015, Sqéwqel Development Corporation was beginning to get construction plans and drawings completed for the proposed park, which were showcased at the Agassiz Harrison Area First Nations Business Forum that year.
In 2016, Seabird Island Band and the corporation received funding from Indigenous Services Canada to develop the land next to the highway.
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Since then, the development corporation has been working with Stqo:ya Construction to build the foundation of the property.
Currently, civil site servicing contract with Stqo:ya Construction is 90 per cent completed, according to a release from Seabird Island. This work included water, sewer and storm drain systems, as well as road work. Three-phase power ducting and power lines have been constructed, and are awaiting BC Hydro approval.
The construction of sidewalks, street lighting and paving is still underway, as is work to build a third groundwater well. Construction is expected to be finished by the end of March, with leasing getting underway shortly after.
Companies interested in leasing properties at the business park will be responsible for the construction of their own buildings, similar to homeowners building a house in a sub-division that is already serviced with water and power.
The park will be geared towards light industrial businesses, and will also include an electric vehicle charging station for commercial vehicles. The charging station is in the final stages of the design process, and will provide power for light utility vehicles and trucks.
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