Brewery demolition to start July 22?

City Council heard the latest in regards to demolition of the Northern Brewery site at its regular meeting Monday.

According to a report prepared for Council by the City Engineering and Planning Department, demolition of the fire-damaged northwest corner of the vacant Bay Street building will (hopefully) begin the week of July 22, 2013.

That process is expected to take approximately five days to complete, the report states.

The property was purchased by Toronto-based developer Nirmala Singh, owner of Renaissance Place Corporation, in April 2011, with the intention of demolishing the old brewery and erecting a multi-storey tower with commercial space on the lower floors and residential condos on the upper floors.

After a February 2013 fire damaged the  northwest portion of the site, Singh's company failed to comply with City orders to demolish that fire-damaged portion, despite having received more than one deadline extension from the City.

City staff were informed July 9 by First General (the contractor working on Singh's behalf) that Lloyd's of London has agreed to cover Singh's demolition costs for the fire-damaged part of the site.

The cost of demolishing the fire-damaged part of the building is estimated to be $130,000.  

City staff have told First General if demolition doesn't happen, Council will be advised to award the demolition project in August to one of the companies that were involved in a bidding process, held by the City after Council's May 27 meeting, and which ended July 8.

While Lloyd's of London will cover the cost of demolition of the northwest corner of the building, costs for the City to prepare tender documents and obtaining environmental analysis and assessment of the property have reached approximately $25,000.

That money, the City states, will have to be collected by adding that amount to the owner's property taxes.

The City staff report for Council also states First General was urged, in a July 9 meeting, to get on with demolition of the entire old brewery site.  

Council was informed at its May 27 meeting that Singh's company still owed $700 in property taxes from 2012, with no payments so far in 2013.

City staff informed SooToday.com Tuesday that situation has not changed.