The new owners of the Green Lantern Hotel in Chemainus say they鈥檙e in it for the long haul.

And the long haul began immediately for Jan Frederik Ludvik and his business partner Martin Syrovatka after the purchase of the historic hotel on Chemainus Road from longtime owner Dave Prakash took effect on April 17 following a long period of negotiations and remediation. Ludvik says seven 40-yard bins were filled with debris he hauled out of the building, amounting to $18,000 worth of garbage.

鈥淭here was food everywhere,鈥� said Ludvik.

This is not a tear-down project, but a major fix-up that will take about a year turnaround after getting the necessary permits, he estimates.

鈥淚t鈥檚 something we heard about a little while ago. We saw some potential to it. We thought this might be an opportunity. We saw it would be a tremendous amount of work. The price looked like it made sense.

鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be really good. It鈥檚 going to be a healthy breath of fresh air.鈥�

Their plan is to revitalize the hotel rooms upstairs into housing units and fix up the pub area so it鈥檚 available for someone to possibly operate in a lease agreement.

Currently based in Qualicum Beach the last 10 years, Ludvik is still a young enough man turning 40 on June 9 to have long-term visions for projects. He previously attended UVic and lived and worked in Victoria and Vancouver.

Ludvik is the hands-on operations man who does the physical work himself and Syrovatka is the business person behind the scenes who takes care of the abundant paperwork.

鈥淲e buy old buildings and we fix them up,鈥� explained Ludvik.

The Green Lantern project, specifically, is totally in keeping with their visions. The approximate square footage is 13,000 that could provide around 15 good-sized one and two bedroom rental apartments if the entire building is utilized for that purpose.

鈥淚t鈥檚 going to create housing in an area that鈥檚 needed and at a cheaper price than if it was new,鈥� Ludvik indicated. 鈥淒efinitely love and respect the community. We鈥檙e going to keep it a green building and make sure to preserve the historic nature of it. We鈥檙e figuring things out as we go along.鈥�

Just seeing Ludvik on site has generated a great deal of interest from the public about what鈥檚 going to happen there.

鈥淎 lot of people are asking about it,鈥� he noted. 鈥淲e want to participate in the community. We think it鈥檚 cool. Hopefully we can figure out a way to earn a living doing it.鈥�

North Cowichan Councillor Chris Istace, who lives in Chemainus, is among those who鈥檝e paid a visit to Ludvik to talk about the project. Istace is a big proponent of sustainable communities where people can live and work close to amenities with minimal use of vehicles and impact on the environment.

Ludvik and Syrovatka are in the housing business and not in the business of operating the pub portion of the establishment. 鈥淚f a big pub wants to come and rent it, we鈥檙e open,鈥� said Ludvik.

The Crestwood Townhomes at 1094 Marchmont St. in Duncan were also recently purchased by Ludvik and Syrovatka as well as the decrepit six townhouse unit that had only one person still living there on York Road next to the Island Health Overdose Prevention Site that are major fix-ups in the same vein as the Green Lantern.

The aim for the York Road complex is to 鈥渕ake it livable and attractive,鈥� Ludvik added.

With respect to Chemainus, Ludvik identifies many similarities to Qualicum Beach that has undergone an extensive transformation over the years through renovations, repaintings and the rejuvenation of buildings downtown.

鈥淚t started going in the right direction,鈥� said Ludvik. 鈥淨ualicum was not clean and it鈥檚 looking a million times better.鈥�

He sees Chemainus going in the same direction, with strong infrastructure from the municipality already in place with the grand entrance into town from the south.

鈥淐hemainus is amazing 鈥� Crofton, Ladysmith, Chemainus, Duncan,鈥� said Ludvik. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of potential.鈥�

And he feels the Green Lantern fix-up will fit the bill for the community.

鈥淭his is the most salt of the earth, bread and butter situation that exists,鈥� Ludvik enthused. 鈥淚鈥檓 going to turn it into really nice residential units. It鈥檚 going to increase the tax base. It鈥檚 a win-win for everybody.鈥�

Dealing with architects on how to get the proper floor plans and connecting with the community are the priorities for the short term.

The start of any project can always be somewhat imposing but the product that results at the end 鈥� 鈥渨hen you finish it and it looks amazing,鈥� he said 鈥� is what keeps him going.

鈥淚t鈥檚 hugely satisfying after the pain you go through to come up with the money to buy a building and it鈥檚 in the worst shape ever. You make it work and everybody鈥檚 happy.

鈥淭he reward in completing is really big. It鈥檚 not a money thing.鈥�

don.bodger@chemainusvalleycourier.ca
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