Derelict Properties – The Shore – Kamloops Business Improvement Association

July 1, 2025 at 8:23 am  Business, Kamloops

Over the last few years, we have lived with the persistent presence of under-utilized properties across some of our areas in Kamloops. There is abuilding downtown that has been under construction for years, a vacant building on the Tranquille Corridor that the owner keeps saying “….will be leased, someday” and there are properties which are slowly failing and are not maintained.

There are three key issues with these types of properties, they:

  • Artificially reduces property values
  • Violate the good neighbour bylaw
  • Reduce the sense of vibrancy by undermining the look and feel of the area.

Most property investors on the North Shore are looking to build the community, attract good tenants and reap the rewards of increased property valuation. Others, however, are property holders. They are not necessarily aligned with the broader desire of the community to enhance street vibrancy. Instead, they often see their property as a holding investment for “someday” opportunities – that may never come. The reality is that the poorer the property’s condition, the less likely it will sell at peak market value, unless it becomes part of a land assembly. This complicates the sale, as the adjacent properties must also be looking to sell. With such a heavy preponderance of multi generational businesses on the North Shore, this is a rare occurrence.

The question is often asked: what can the NSBIA do about these run-down eyesores?

We have two key approaches that we can employ in respond to the issue:

  • Communication with property owners is constant. We work on a daily basis with property owners who are within our community. Those outside our community are much more difficult to reach. We will continue to push forward on our vision for a revitalized area of the city.
  • Utilize the good neighbour bylaw that falls under our municipal authority which basically says that a property which is negatively impactful in key areas can be subject to remediation by the city. In this case the property owner is billed back for those costs, or fines are applied to the property owner. The challenge here is that there is no final authority that forces a property owner to comply. When we have pushed hard on properties in the past, the city has stopped short of taking property owners to court. This creates a lethargic approach to the enforcement of our bylaws.

We will continue to advance our vision for a strong and vibrant community, working as closely with property owners as possible.

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