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Commercial Drive's Wonderbucks building for sale

The site of the old Wonderbucks store at 1801 Commercial Dr. and the parking area behind it at 1656 East Second Ave. are up for sale. Bids are being accepted for the two properties.
Wonderbucks shut its doors in early 2017 Photo Dan Toulgoet
Wonderbucks shut its doors in early 2017. File Photo Dan Toulgoet

The site of the old Wonderbucks store at 1801 Commercial Dr. and the parking area behind it at 1656 East Second Ave. are up for sale.

Bids are being accepted for the two properties. The deadline for submissions is April 6, according to the sales sheet.

Wonderbucks, which had been in business on the site for 18 years, closed its doors in early 2017 after rent and property taxes increased. The one-storey building has been vacant since then.

The property and building at 1801 Commercial Drive were assessed at $6.4 million in 2018, with property taxes of $66,857 in 2017, while the land at 1656 East Second was assessed at $1.66 million with 2017 property taxes of $13,211.

Grandview-Woodland resident Jak King wrote about changes to the Commercial Drive neighbourhood, including the Wonderbucks building sale, on his ‘Jak’s View of Vancouver’ site here.

King also wrote a history of the building and its uses on the Grandview Heritage Group site here.

The property at 1801 Commercial Dr. is zoned C-2C, which allows for commercial activities and personal services that require central locations to serve neighbourhoods. Residential uses above at-grade, pedestrian-oriented shops are also allowed, typically to a maximum height of four storeys, according to the City of Vancouver.

The existing building dates back to 1927, King pointed out in the write-up about its history.

If the property is redeveloped, the building would be assessed for its heritage value.  If it was deemed to have value or significance, additional incentives beyond what is allowed for in the C-2C zone could be considered in exchange for preservation, rehabilitation and designation of the building or parts of it.

noconnor@vancourier.com

@naoibh