The sa国际传媒-based school district has sold a downtown property to UBC Okanagan.
Known as the McWilliams Centre, the building at 580 Doyle Ave has staff and resource space for the districtsa国际传媒 online education program. It does not have classrooms and there are no student spaces.
The property is immediately adjacent to 550 Doyle Ave, the site where the university will build a 43 storey downtown campus. The school districtsa国际传媒 former site will not be incorporated into planning for the new tower, but its acquisition is said to allow the university to 鈥渞emain responsive鈥 to its future needs, according to a Tuesday release.
鈥淭his is an important investment by UBC in its presence in the Okanagan and proof positive of the tremendous potential we see in UBCO Downtown,鈥 university principal Lesley Cormack said in the release.
Purchase price was not disclosed but the site has an assessed value of $3.5 million. At four-tenths of an acre, the district says the site is too small to ever be used for a new school.
Proceeds from the sale will be used to fund renovations at the Hollywood Road Education Services centre to serve the districtsa国际传媒 online learning program. Operations at the McWilliams Centre will continue through a leasing arrangement between the school district and UBCO until the renovations at the Hollywood Road facility are complete.
As reported last month in The Daily Courier, UBCO has also been talking to executives with the sa国际传媒 branch of the Royal Canadian Legion about acquiring its 50-year-old building at 1380 Bertram St., immediately north of the McWilliams Centre.
