The site that houses Booker’s BBQ Grill and Crab Shack is being given a fresh new look to attract additional tenants including perhaps a brewery.
Mahmud Rahman, president and team lead of IROL Alberta and an associate with the commercial division of RE/MAX Real Estate (Central), said the development site is situated in an ideal location as the gateway into the city’s core.
The famous Booker’s restaurant will continue to operate on the site located at 316 3rd Street S.E., along 4th Avenue S.E. and the entryway into the city’s downtown core from the 4th Avenue Flyover or Reconciliation Bridge over the Bow River.
“It’s sandwiched between Eau Claire and the East Village communities,” explained Rahman. “East Village is bringing in up to another 5,000 population within that immediate area. So it’s a growing community. Once people start to occupy that space it will be a popular little nook and because you’re sort of central there’s a lot of amenities nearby like the new flyover park, the downtown core, the new bridges there.”
IROL Alberta is involved in the design and engineering of the Booker’s site. RE/MAX Real Estate (Central) is marketing and leasing the property.
“Basically what we’re doing is giving it a facelift. There are some areas of the building that have been deteriorating. We’re going in there and re-doing some of the brick on the building. We’re replacing all the mechanical systems of the space. We’re re-doing all the electrical in the space. Bringing in more power in the building to accommodate more tenants,” said Rahman.
“We’re re-doing some of the plumbing, some of the main sewer lines to also accommodate more tenants.”
There is a total of about 14,000 square feet on the site and Booker’s occupies about 4,000 square feet of that.
“It’s all retail. Any sort of retail application. One category that I’d love to see in there just because it’s so close to the park is anything to do with animals. Dogs. Cats. Maybe a dog grooming business. An animal grooming facility. A veterinary hospital,” said Rahman.
“Aside from Booker’s, we are currently negotiating with a brewery . . . I can’t disclose what company it is but it’s a bigger group that’s going to be putting in a brewery there.”
He said the physical work on the building is expected to be completed by the second or third quarter of this year.
“This fall we should have access to give keys to the tenants and they can start doing their fixturing inside,” added Rahman.
The site will be able to accommodate an additional five tenants to Booker’s.
“We’re also speaking with a local art group and we’re going to provide them with one side of the building for them to do a community art project. They’re going to be sending one of their top artists to do an art project on one of the walls,” said Rahman.