Demolition work on the notorious Balmoral single-room occupancy (SRO) hotel in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside is set to begin in November, the City of Vancouver said Tuesday.
The city expropriated the hotel, along with another DTES SRO, the Regent Hotel, in December 2020 after a multi-year dispute with their owners over repeated bylaw violations and derelict conditions.
It issued an order to tear the Balmoral down in February, citing hazards including rotten floors, beams and walls, damaged electrical systems, moisture and unprotected sprinklers.
On Tuesday, the city issued a media release saying the work to demolish the building would take between 10 and 12 months, and be conducted in a phased approach due to the “age, complexity and condition of the building.”
“The City recognizes that the Balmoral was a site of harm and trauma to many and that the demolition of this building will have emotional impact for former residents and their families, friends and community,” it said.
“The City is reaching out to community to seek guidance and involvement in providing respectful, healing and culturally appropriate support and ceremony for community through the building demolition and redevelopment process.”
The first phase of the project, which will take until spring 2023, will involve the safe removal of hazardous and waste materials.
The city will also demolish two adjacent buildings at 163 and 169 E Hastings St., which were damaged by recent fires.
Demolition work on the Balmoral itself will run from spring to fall of 2023, and is expected to affect traffic on Hastings Street.
Finally, the site will be filled in and capped with asphalt “to support interim servicing and community uses” while the city works a development plan for new affordable housing on the property.