The plan for the new Cheakamus Crossing neighbourhood calls for a restaurant and pub and a convenience store. Last week Joe Redmond of the Whistler 2010 Development Corporation confirmed that there is interest in both locations and negotiations are currently underway with prospective owners.
The tenants could be announced as soon as the next board meeting on May 17, although it could be at a later date as well.
Both locations are modest. The restaurant and pub is roughly 3,000 square feet and the convenience store roughly 1,000 square feet.
"We have the potential of eventually putting more retail or commercial into the community and as it builds up there may be more demand," said Redmond. "At this point it's more important to get the right operators in the spaces."
The commercial tenants could be in place by September or October as residents take possession of their homes following the post-Olympic renovations.
"They can move in fairly quickly," said Redmond. "It's not exactly bare space, VANOC used those spaces during the Games so all the mechanical systems and electrical systems are there. There will obviously be some tenant improvements required, furniture and signage and that kind of thing, but a lot of the work is there. For example, the restaurant washrooms are already in place."
The new neighbourhood consists of 154 townhomes, 67 condo units, 55 rental units, a 180-bed hostel and both short and long-term athlete housing. Roughly 1,200 people are expected to live at Cheakamus Crossing.
