A new three-storey building, with retail storefronts and two levels of rental apartments, could soon fill a Somerset Street West lot left vacant by a massive fire nearly two years ago.
In October 2015, a four-alarm fire gutted a pair buildings near the intersection of Somerset and Percy streets on the edge of Chinatown. The accidental fire, which was caused by roofing work and left four people homeless, also destroyed The Daily Grind cafe, the Middle East Bakery, Shiraz Food Market and A Dark Cloud tattoo parlour, according to CBC reporters who covered the blaze.
Crews start to tear down remains of building on Somerset Street #ottnews pic.twitter.com/WgdA427ajC
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— Sherry Aske (@SherryAske) October 21, 2015
The land has been vacant since the October 2015 fire.
The owners of the property at 601 Somerset St. W., Jamie and Shelley Helmer, have filed a site plan application with the city to redevelop the property to include 2,917 square feet of retail space as well as eight residential units, consisting of one and two-bedroom apartments.
