Developer interested in condemned SJ property
While it may not be much to look at, a developer says a derelict property that has been approved for demolition has good bones and he wants it.
The former BJ's Lounge on City Road has been unoccupied for years and was approved for demolition earlier this month by the city.
The city has tried numerous times to contact the property owner without success and the property has been neglected.
But Sussex developer John Cushnie said beneath all the dirt is a diamond in the rough.
"I mean it looks bad on the outside, the siding's sort of all coming off and all that, but inside you know structurally it's really quite a decent building," said Cushnie.
"It's bricks, you know big windows, iron beams and all that. Like really quite nice."
The property is registered to a numbered company, 684788 NB INC, while Service New Brunswick says it's owned by someone named Mostafa Iqbal.
Property taxes have not been paid on the property in years and in 2019 the owners were ordered to pay $64,000 in outstanding taxes.
CBC News has repeatedly reached out to the listed owner, but have not received a response.
Without the siding, Cushnie said the building would look similar to the Picaroons Roundhouse in Fredericton, one of that city's nightlife attractions.
Cushnie said it wouldn't take a huge amount of work to get the building back in shape, adding that the bricks underneath the siding are in great shape.
Cushnie said his company would like to use the building itself, but he also knows of several other businesses that would thrive in that location.
"I see it as being a pretty lively sort of commercial hub," said Cushnie.
"Once we strip everything off it, it would be a fantastic building."
Cushnie said the cost to renovate would be between $80-180,000, depending on the type of development.
He said his company has submitted a formal proposal to the city asking for a six month deferral of the demolition to give him time to buy the property.
CBC News has reached out to the city's Growth and Community Development Services for comment but haven't received a reply.
