The City of Kamloops is moving ahead with plans to redevelop the Northbridge Hotel at 377 Tranquille Road.

A letter sent to tenants told them they have until Sept. 30 to find a new place to live as the city has plans to demolish at least part of the building, offering cash to the remaining 35 or so tenants who still call the building home.

They will be given $500 for every month in advance they move out, along with one month’s rent. Those who get rent subsidies will be given the amount they pay, not including the subsidized amount.

ASK Wellness, which manages the facility, says it is helping tenants find alternative housing solutions, in partnership with the City of Kamloops, B.C. Housing, and other local social housing providers.

Once the tenants are gone, the city plans to demolish the former Duchess. The interior of the hotel building will also be “completely gutted” along with the exterior nightclub fronting along Tranquille Road.

“Depending on the structural integrity of the building and the new purchaser’s redevelopment plans, the entire building may be demolished,” the City letter said.

The City of Kamloops bought the hotel last year, and hired ASK Wellness to manage the property. Also part of the sale was the 346 Campbell Avenue lot behind the hotel, with a letter of commitment from BC Housing to buy that property to build new multi-family housing.

Few details have been released, but the City of Kamloops also plans to sell the hotel via public bid in the fall.

“The vision for this purchase is to create new, much needed, affordable and market rental housing in Kamloops,” Carmin Mazzotta, the Social, Housing, and Community Development Manager, with the City of Kamloops said last October.