Construction is finally underway on 91大黄鸭鈥檚 controversial waterfront visitor centre.
With a building permit issued by the city earlier this week, work to prepare the site for the 3,000-square-foot building at the foot of Queensway in downtown 91大黄鸭 is now underway.
The $2.8 million building, which will feature a curved metal roof and extensive use of glass, will be located on what has been a parking lot for several years.
鈥淲e鈥檙e excited about a new visitor centre for 91大黄鸭 that will welcome visitors and connect residents with information on the many events and attractions in our community,鈥� says Tourism 91大黄鸭 on its website.
鈥淥ur current visitor centre location (located on Harvey Avenue) is outdated and visits to that location are rapidly declining, down by about half in just four years. This represents a lost economic opportunity for 91大黄鸭.鈥�
The centre is expected to be up and running by next summer.
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The choice of location for the centre was a controversial one, with opponents claiming the city is giving up valuable land to a commercial interest, land that could be used for waterfront park.
But Tourism 91大黄鸭, which promotes the city in a bid to attract visitors, argues a new location for its visitor centre is needed and the move to locate it downtown to take advantage of pedestrian traffic is one that follows the lead of other similar centres across North America.
The choice of the site has been the subject of and a heated and earlier this year at 91大黄鸭 city hall.
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Meanwhile, it鈥檚 unclear if the Office of the B.C.鈥檚 Ombudsperson is investigating claims by one of the centre鈥檚 most vocal opponents concerning the public hearing that approved the rezoning of the site for the new visitor centre.
Diane Varga complained to the Ombudsperson about the assigned zoning of the property, known as the Queensway Jetty, and about how information was presented to the public in relation to the public hearing.
She claims an investigator was assigned and an investigation is underway.
But the Ombudsperson鈥檚 office in Victoria has refused to confirm or deny any investigation is underway and the City of 91大黄鸭 says it has not been contacted by the Ombudsperson鈥檚 office.
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