Businesses who rely on the Okanagan coLab space on St. Paul Street in downtown Kelowna won’t be getting back into the business any time soon.
According to an update from owner Shane Austin shared on New Year’s Eve, the building’s closure due to safety concerns from the construction site next door is “indefinite,” the City of Kelowna has told him.
“We're exploring relocation options to ensure continuity for coLab and its members,” he said.
Okanagan coLab, located at 1405 St. Paul St., has been closed since late November after significant excavation work at a neighbouring construction site impacted the structural integrity of nearby buildings.
The construction site is where work has began on the 43-storey UBCO tower at 550 Doyle Ave., where the old Daily Courier building used to be.
Austin’s update said that he has meetings scheduled with UBC Properties Trust, Kerkhoff Construction and other stakeholders to explore viable paths forward.
For now, there are little to no answers available for the dozen businesses that typically call the coLab space home, which includes Dustyn Baulkham and Rebellious Unicorns.
In a post made on Christmas Eve, Baulkham said he has over $20,000 worth of equipment in the space that he is unable to access and some will “likely be unusable” once he finally is able to retrieve it.
“Conservatively, I am losing $10,000 per month in lost productivity with my company having to constantly find temporary space for producing content plus delaying a number of shows we have been working on,” he explained.
Austin’s recent update echoed Baulkham’s thoughts, as he said the issue has “profoundly impacted” the business, coLab members and the community.
“Our priority is restoring business continuity and addressing community needs,” he explained. “Your support is invaluable during this uncertain period.”
Earlier in December, Austin said that coLab’s next steps aren’t entirely defined, but they’re learning to accept the uncertainty and adapt to it.
If you get value from KelownaNow and believe local independent media is important to our community we ask that you please consider subscribing to our daily newsletter.
If you appreciate what we do, we ask that you consider supporting our local independent news platform.
