Alert Bay, BC

JWT has completed two very important planning projects for Alert Bay, the first being a feasibility of the Namgis Nation’s Nurse’s Residence, a historic building from the 1920’s which was first the Anglican Church’s mission hospital (it was preceded by a floating hospital ship) and then after WW2 when the Army’s military modular hospital was repurposed and relocated to Alert Bay this building became the official residence for the Nurses stationed in Alert Bay. Since the 1980’s this building has been sitting vacant, now under ownership of the Nation. JWT has prepared a feasibility study to convert this shell building (it has been taken down to its studs) into a community market and meeting place. The second related assignment was to study the entire waterfront of Alert Bay working both with the community of Alert Bay (mayor and council) and the Namgis Nation. Our efforts on both assignments included completing a wide ranging inventory of the building stock, historic and now vacant structures, and measure the retail and accommodations spaces. This baseline data allowed us to come up with a vision for the entire waterfront with a special focus on the Nation’s marina which had been slowly going into a state of disrepair. These projects were generously funded by grant money and have given the community a road map in moving forward in both preserving their waterfront assets and charm and identifying opportunities for new investment when the opportunity arises.