The Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District is looking into building a new office space near Port Alberni.
During a board meeting on Jan. 29, 2025, directors voted to advance with a business case for a new office space, which would involve construction of a brand-new building on a new site.
The ACRD has occupied its current office, on Fifth Avenue in Port Alberni, since the 1990s, but the building itself dates back to the 1960s. It was originally designed as a commercial structure with various suites located within. The lower half of the building was formerly occupied by Coastal Community Credit Union, but after the credit union's move to Johnston Road in 2022, the ACRD expanded into that space as well.
The ACRD has now outgrown the space, and the building is in need of some provincially-legislated seismic and accessibility upgrades.
“We’re already beyond capacity,” regional district CAO Daniel Sailland told the board on Wednesday. “So it’s not a matter of whether or not we’re bringing in more staff, we are beyond capacity and we have legislative requirements to meet.”
Will King, president of Waymark Architecture, presented two options to the board on Wednesday. The first option, to expand and renovate the current office space, would cost between $15 million and $17 million because the building needs "a lot of work" for a basic upgrade, including hazardous materials removal. King also warned that the ACRD would need to find temporary office space to use while the building is being renovated.
The second option, building a brand-new office space, is expected to cost between $19 million and $20 million. King said with this option, there is a chance to recoup some costs by partnering with local stakeholder groups for shared facilities, or by selling or leasing the existing building.
“Both [options] are a significant investment,” said King.
King said he had looked at a site "just outside" city limits for a potential new building, although he didn't specify where this was.
Beaufort director Jack McLeman and Beaver Creek director Susan Roth both voted against the business case, stating they don't want to see the ACRD spending taxpayers' money. Roth went on to say she would prefer to see the ACRD maintain the status quo for a couple of years, while renovating the existing building to meet legislative requirements.
“When you start adding up these numbers, these are huge tax increases,” said Roth. “We can’t do this to people, especially now. You can tell just by walking in the grocery store that people can’t afford things. So we really need to think about the taxpayers’ ability to pay, and it’s not going to hurt to put this off for two years and hopefully we’ll be in a better position.”
Other directors voted in favour of proceeding with the business case for a new building, with Ucluelet Mayor Marilyn McEwen noting that the process of a new build would take several years at minimum. Sailland said that a detailed business case won't be ready until December 2025, at the earliest.
“If we’re not going to break ground for another three or four years, it could be a whole different world by then,” said McEwen. “And at least we’ll have something that’s ready to go.”
Uchucklesaht director Moriah Cootes pointed out that the ACRD wants to expand its board of directors in the next few years. Currently, there are six First Nations in the regional district who don't have seats at the board table.
“We currently would not be able to facilitate that in any way, shape or form," said Cootes. "It doesn’t make sense to me to that we would continue to renovate the current building when we know that in three to five years, we’ll already outgrow it."
Cherry Creek director Mike Sparrow said that a renovation could come with hidden costs.
“[Renovations] sometimes get very costly because they find things they shouldn’t find,” he said. “Next thing you know, the excavator’s in there remodelling the basement floor.”
The ACRD already budgeted $75,000 in last year's financial plan for the business case, so this decision won't affect taxation in the 2025 budget.
