The old Firehall in downtown Grande Prairie has a new owner, with a new business expected to slot into the space in the not-so-distant future.
Grande Prairie Mayor Jackie Clayton says the news comes just about a month after the city put the building, which housed Grande Prairie Technical Search and Rescue, up for sale. Clayton says the sale will hopefully add a new hot spot in the already lively business core.
“Any time we can add new business, investment, and opportunity downtown, we’ve put about $44 million already into the downtown core, so seeing businesses pop up is a great outcome because that was the goal of this investment,” she says.
“Seeing the Firehall refurbished into something that adds a new amenity and a new opportunity downtown is a great sign of what’s to come.”
While the specifics of the new business haven’t yet been released publicly, Clayton says continued development downtown is good news. She adds investment can and does attract further investment, and she hopes this situation leads to an even greater buildup downtown.
“I haven’t seen the business plans, but as noted, it’s an existing business owner that is investing into a new line of work so we are excited to see what they come forward with,” she says.
“We know the central district downtown is fairly large and seeing new businesses pop up throughout that district is exciting.”
The deal will be finalized following the conditions of the sale being met.