Roof at Colwood Corners collapses, closing shops
A section of flat roof over a stripmall style building at Colwood Corners collapsed early Tuesday, forcing the shutdown of two small businesses.
The store spaces under the collapsed section of the roof were not occupied and nobody was hurt.
But two neighbouring businesses — First Choice Hair Cutters and pet groomer Kathy’s Mutt Cuts — have been closed for safety reasons.
Duncan Wiodarczak, chief of staff for building owner Onni Group of Vancouver, said the Colwood Fire Department made contact about 3 a.m. letting the company know of the roof collapse at 1905 Sooke Rd.
Wiodarczak said in an email that the adjacent London Drugs, which is not part of the structure, was not affected and remains open for business.
Colwood Fire Capt. Brian Erwin said cause of the roof collapse is being investigated by structural engineers.
The 1970s-era, single-storey building has five commercial spaces.
It is on a 12.5-acre site now part of a mixed commercial and residential development by Onni that’s being built in phases.
Sandra Russell, spokeswoman for the City of Colwood, said development plans show the small building with the collapsed roof was slated to be upgraded ,but it’s now unclear what will happen.
Russell said Onni is working on four new buildings, which are to be completed by early next year. The company has been issued permits for a total of 10 new buildings, with more envisioned in the future.
Onni acquired the site for $17.5 million in 2014 from previous owners League Assets, which went bankrupt.