It looks like we might finally be clear of what felt like a very long winter.
Now that the sun’s shining even on the drive home, the world seems to be coming alive again. And with those new rays of sunshine, we would like to share a few of the projects that we have closed out with the new year, and the ones that are just blooming with the spring.
Completion of Coaldale Civic Square
After years in development, the first phase of Coaldale’s new Civic Square and Town Hall is finished, and in use.
The Town of Coaldale moved into Unit 100 at the end of January, and they’re fully operating out of the building now.
In fact, they’ve already held their first community event. The town, in conjunction with the Chamber of Commerce, held the Chamber of Coaldale Business Awards Banquet in the Civic Square Atrium on January 28th.
Westland Insurance is also fully moved-in and operational in Unit 102.
Meanwhile, Buster’s Pizza is putting the final touches on Unit 101. They plan to have everything finished and operational at the end of May. The restaurant brings a new dining experience to Coaldale, offering a wide range of food, from pizza to pasta and even donairs.
At the time of posting, Units 103 and 104 are still available to lease.
For more information on how to lease out the last remaining commercial spaces, contact info@shiftrei.ca or call 587-425-5775.
Looking forward
With the building completed and occupied, development is shifting from indoors to out with the second phase of development. The town has plans underway to start landscaping the empty lot adjacent to the Civic Square to make sure their space brings both indoor and outdoor life to Coaldale’s downtown.
As residents of the town ourselves, we are excited by this development and look forward to seeing the continued beautification of the downtown.
Building details
The building incorporates 19,407 sq/ft of space in total. The Town of Coaldale operates and owns nearly three-quarters of the space (14,903 sq/ft), while the rest (4,504 sq/ft) is rented out to commercial tenants.
The Town of Coaldale’s section of the building includes:
- Council Chambers on the main floor
- Administrative office space on the second floor
- A public atrium (available for the public to rent)
- Meeting rooms (available for the public to rent)
For more detailed information on the building, read the blog post: Coaldale Civic Square – A New Centre Piece for the Downtown Core.
Purchase of Gilmar Crane property
3208, 3216 and 3200 3rd Ave. S., Lethbridge
As of March 13, 2023, Shift REI took ownership of the old Gilmar Crane property with the intent of creating a temporary home for Chinook Equipment’s large heavy equipment and offering the business additional shop space.
Even with this purchase, we continue to search for a building large enough to give Chinook Equipment the space they need to house all its services and equipment under one roof.
There is a second brick building on the lot beside where Chinook Equipment will be, which includes an office, warehouse space, and a gravelled yard. This space is currently ready for a new tenant.
For more information about leasing the offices and warehouse space, contact info@shiftrei.ca or call 587-425-5775.
New tenant announcements
Over the winter, more southern Albertan tenants have joined the Shift REI family. We would like to extend a warm welcome to each new member as they open their businesses and welcome clients and customers of their own.
As of this spring, Sunbelt Rentals is offering tool and equipment rentals out of 3321 1st Ave. A brand new business to the Lethbridge area, we are looking forward to seeing Sunbelt Rentals grow into their new space.
266-4 St SW, Gershaw Terrace, Medicine Hat
Gershaw Terrace welcomes Emilie Soper and her business, Nexus Orthotics. A Certified Pedorthist with a BSc. in Kinesiology, Emilie brings yet another medical service, along with two part-time massage therapists, to Gershaw Terrace, which already hosts a variety of medical professionals, from doctors to pharmacists.
We’re also happy to announce the plans for adding an outdoor patio space to this 9-unit mini-mall are in place and ready to implement when the ground thaws. This space will give MT Nest Cafe patrons and patiently waiting patients the perfect setting to enjoy Medicine Hat’s beautiful summers.
Unit 103 in Gershaw Terrace has a lease finalized, which makes this property fully leased out. We’re not ready to announce the new tenant for this quarter, but look forward to welcoming them in the coming months.
Grayne + Co is moving from their location in the WT Hill Business park to downtown Lethbridge. As of this month, they’ll operate from 311 7th St., between Intrigue Lingerie and Infintea.
A creative lifestyle boutique, Grayne + Co. offers a wide variety of DIY kits, workshops, home decor and a Creative Maker Subscription Box.
Stop by to meet Laura, explore the shop and get inspired to create!
Vacancy opportunities
A general industrial space, the building at 3510 5th Ave. N. offers plenty of room for a warehouse, building/hardware supplies, contractors, or other industrial services. Featuring plenty of exposure on 5th Ave., which is a main street in the industrial area, plenty of interior space, and additional securely fenced yard space, the property has lots of potential for the right tenant.
367 25 St. Fort Macleod (the old Dodge dealership)
An ideal space for retail, light industrial or general office space, this building is located on the west-bound side of Highway 3, near downtown Fort Macleod.
WT Hill Business Park, Lethbridge
We are currently looking for partners to develop three bare properties in the WT Hill Business Park – 4077 2nd Ave. S., 498 41 St. S., 539 41 St. S.
These blank-slate lots are prime for developing and constructing new buildings to perfectly match a range of industrial and light industrial businesses.
Contact us to tailor your next building to suit all your needs!
Growing our team!
As we continue to grow and acquire new buildings across western Canada, we’re proud to say our team is growing with us – and we’d like to welcome each one in turn.
First, we’d like to welcome Darrell Grant to the Shift REI family! Darrell started with us at the end of last November as part of our maintenance team. He brings 19 years of experience in the landscaping/construction industry. We appreciate his warm and friendly personality, which makes him a great addition to the office.
We’d also like to welcome Siyanna Parvanova, who started with us in the office at the end of March. Siyanna is joining the team to help with Real Estate Analysis and to take over bookkeeping. With a background in finance and most recent experience in real estate, she brings valuable skills and expertise to the table.
Shannon Watson, who previously kept books for both Shift REI and the Davis Auto Group for over 5 years is retiring. We wish Shannon a long and happy retirement!
We also welcome Mark Burry back for a second summer as our summer student to help with maintenance in keeping our properties looking their best.
Growing Forward
We continue to develop and refine our site plan for Crowsnest Pass and look forward to sharing more details in our next issue. Of course, we have some other irons in the fire which we look forward to releasing details this summer!