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Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/325830
in the Queensborough area. One of the earmarked purposes for the money was a civic centre in the downtown core—the city later decided to add an office tower. The project hit a major hurdle in 2011 when a developer pulled out of a tentative partnership. City council decided in April 2012 that it would build the tower itself. The $41.5-million cost for the civic component was covered by the casino funds, but the city passed a bylaw to borrow up to $59 million to build the office tower. Council faced a public backlash, and a 2,100-signature petition was filed against the decision. "The biggest challenge was getting people to understand what we were trying to do and how important the site was," recalls Mayor Wright. "We saw it as the true centre of the city and one of the mainstays of the Lower Mainland." In March 2014, commercial real estate agent Cushman & Wakefield sold the office tower for $36.5 million to a company owned by two well-known local business leaders: Joe Segal and Suki Sekhon. With total construction costs for the office tower shell at $30 million, the building is now complete and occupancy is expected to start in the fall of this year. The sale of the empty building was a tremendous vote of confidence. "We couldn't ask for better partners," Mayor Wright explains. "They were our No. 1 choice. They've got the vision to see what's going on down here and they were a step ahead of everybody else." According to Sekhon, they were impressed by the downtown revitalization, the quality of the building and the surrounding transportation network including five SkyTrain stations and the new Patullo Bridge. "If you look at the Lower Mainland, this is centre ice," says Sekhon. "It's 20 minutes from almost anywhere in the Lower Mainland, the North Shore and the Fraser Valley. The combination of affordable condominiums and single-family homes, and the attractive rental rates available at the Anvil Centre makes this a win-win situation for both employees and employers. This building meets a growing need in the marketplace for people who want to work and live in a vibrant, sustainable community." p162-167-Anvil Centre .indd 165 2014-05-29 3:47 PM