Photo: Google Maps
A prominent building that has for years been decaying on the outskirts of Peachland is finally getting a facelift.
The property, officially located at 6575 Highway 97, sits about two kilometres south of downtown Peachland, and has been empty long enough that Peachland city staff couldn’t immediately tell Okanagan Edge for exactly how long.
But the infamous building’s new tenants, Peachland’s popular Dragon Lotus Restaurant, will be moving in later this year, and Owner Sam Vong has some big plans.
After Peachland council approved a development permit at its April 18 regular meeting, major work on the property began this weekend.
According to the application, Vong plans to upgrade the building by adding a 55-square-metre preparation area and 20 square metres of extra seating.
The Dragon Lotus currently sits on Beach Avenue in Peachland. Along with winning the Peachland Chamber of Commerce business of the year award in 2015, the restaurant has been named the best Chinese restaurant in B.C. for three years in a row by popular travel website TripAdvisor.
Vong told Okanagan Edge his old location was just too small, and he was starting to really need a bigger kitchen. When the Highway 97 building hit the market not long ago, he said he knew right away he wanted to move.
Once renovated, Vong said the new location will allow him to seat significantly more people, and the bigger kitchen will help him cut down on wait times for food.
“You don’t know how excited I am. I keep asking [the construction workers], can we go faster?” he joked.
In a cheeky Facebook post April 21, Vong announced Dragon Lotus would be shutting down its Beach Avenue restaurant as of August 27 this year.
“It will be sad that I won’t be able to cook anymore great Chinese food or serve delicious ice cream at 5872 Beach Ave anymore, but all things do eventually come to an end,” the post read.
Further down, Vong spilled the beans that, rather than closing, Dragon Lotus was actually moving to the new location. He says the new restaurant will open in early October, but promised “a few surprises” in the near future.
April 24 he also assured Okanagan Edge that, despite moving from downtown, Dragon Lotus will continue to serve ice cream.
Over the weekend workers began dismantling much of the structure, and a post on Dragon Lotus’s facebook page shows major work already underway. Long promised to update customers regularly on the progress of the move.
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