The former home of Rona could soon house a furniture manufacturer currently based in Surrey.
The Surrey business “is in final negotiations” to buy the building and would expect to employ up to 100 workers at the site, according to a report by Abbotsford’s economic development (CAED) department.
In addition to manufacturing and assembling furniture at the site, the business would also look to sell their products at the location.
“It will be great to finally see this building taking on life,” the CAED report says.
The building was last assessed at a value of $16.5 million.
Elsewhere, a lease has been signed for a “Valley Food and Farm Collective initiative” led by Josh Vanderheide, the founder of Fieldhouse Brewing, which is located on the same road.
Staff are also pursuing other opportunities with potential investors including: “an energy company, a doctor/fertility specialist, a Chinese investment group that hopes to visit in the fall, and a “creative concrete manufacturer,” according to the report.
It hasn’t been all success, though; the report notes that a group of Turkish investors looking to establish themselves in the B.C. manufacturing sector have chosen to set up in Maple Ridge because of a lack of suitable land in Abbotsford.