Raffles Elevator is going down ... for the final time

There's a different look to the front of the old Raffle's building today

The ongoing renovations at the old Raffles Hotel that will create the supportive housing complex Crane's Crossing reached another benchmark today, as construction crews, aided by an excavator removed the old elevator shaft that made for the midway point of the building.

The project on Tuesday morning requiring a stoppage of vehicle and pedestrian traffic in the area as part of the safety plan for the project.

Pacific Flagging's Emerald Spence provided some visual commemoration for the event, a shout out of Celebration relayed through Mayor Lee Brain's Social media page today.

As part of today's work, traffic was stopped at times and rerouted around the construction site, with Third Avenue West at Five Corners reduced to one lane of traffic travelling eastbound today

The much anticipated addition to housing opportunities in the community has seen a bit of a stalled renovation period in recent months, in May City council met to move forward a variance application requirement.

The building was purchased by the province of British Columbia in May of 2020 towards expansion os social housing in the community, once work is complete on the Supportive housing centre, it will have room for close to 48  units of supportive and transitional housing for residents.

So far there has been no revised  timeline put forward to indicate when the facility will be open for applications for residents.

Crane's Crossing currently hosts the city'd homeless shelter and as we noted earlier this month, has also received funding for the provincial winter shelter program.

More notes on housing in the region can be explored here.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review.