The proposal to convert a 76-year-old pub in Steveston into hotel suites is headed to Richmond city council next Monday for the final green light.
The owner of the Steveston Hotel at 12111 Third Ave., Kanaris Demetre Lazos, submitted a proposal to alter The Buck & Ear Bar & Grill's exterior by putting new windows and doors in order to convert it into five hotel suites. The pub would be shut down.
The Steveston Hotel, formerly known as the Sockeye Hotel, was built in 1894. The additional section containing the pub was built in 1948.
The proposal was on the agenda at the city council's planning committee meeting on Wednesday afternoon, with a city staff recommendation supporting the application.
"The heritage value of the Steveston Hotel lies in its historic association with the development of the Steveston townsite and its social and cultural value as a community gathering place," reads the report by city staff.
The conversion into hotel suites aligns with the hotel's zoning and the exterior alterations are limited to those needed to achieve the change in internal layout, according to the report.
Councillors also noted during Wednesday's meeting that the Richmond Heritage Commission had approved the proposal. The Steveston Historic Society, however, expressed wishes to preserve some of the pub's interior.
"... The Buck & Ear has been instrumental in supporting community events and fundraisers for non-profit organizations and local sports teams. It has consistently opened its doors to host charity events, benefit concerts, and community gatherings, providing a platform for these organizations to raise funds and awareness," reads the Steveston Historic Society's letter to Lazos.
"The loss of The Buck & Ear would mean the loss of a vital resource for these groups, making it even more imperative to preserve this historical component."
Coun. Alexa Loo suggested preserving the Buck & Ear's sign by incorporating it onto the side of the hotel or including a snug-like pub where community members could go in and enjoy a drink, as proposed by the Steveston Historic Society.
She added that members of the society voiced concerns about the Buck & Ear being one of two places in Steveston that offer live music, with the other being the Steveston ANAF Unit 284, "which is also running at a loss."
"That being said, if we're not all going there and drinking our fair share and spending our fair share of money then we're not... helping to maintain the business and the need for it. So it's kind of that weird catch-22," she explained, adding that the society also understands the dilemma.
City staff, however, said the owner is not interested in meeting with the Steveston Historic Society at this time.
Pub no longer a community staple, says owner
Coun. Andy Hobbs echoed the sentiment about the pub's community value.
“I find it kind of hard to believe that I’m going to be in a Richmond without a Buck & Ear pub. I didn’t think that would ever happen, but it seems to be in the works," he said.
"So whatever conversations we can have to incorporate that social, cultural community gathering place aspect to it and if there’s a way to keep that Buck & Ear kind of favour alive, I’d be all in favour of that.”
The owner, Lazos, disagreed.
"A lot of credit is given to the Steveston Hotel but we don't deserve that much, I would be very frank," he told the committee.
He recalled going to the Buck & Ear on Canada Day during its heyday, when it was impossible to find a place to stand inside the pub.
"And the demand was so high. It is not there anymore," said Lazos.
He added that the tenant that operates the pub, the Joseph Richard Group, filed for creditor protection following the COVID-19 pandemic.
The group owed about $34.4 million to Canadian Western Bank and $2.3 million to the Bank of Montreal around the time of filing.
According to the June 4 report by court-appointed monitor MNP Ltd., which replaced Ernst & Young Inc. in May, Joseph Richard Group's creditor protection was extended to Aug. 30.
All 19 of Joseph Richard Group's B.C. businesses are currently up for sale and the group has a bid to buy them back.
"If we don't build the (suites), the pub has to be closed. It cannot survive," said Lazos, explaining that there is a demand for hotel apartments following the recent short-term rental reforms.
He added the hotel is having "a lot of problems," with most complaints about it being in an old building.
"Not a single person has said (in their reviews), 'Oh it's a nice heritage old building and we enjoyed it,'" said Lazos.
Another factor in the pub's downfall, according to Lazos, is the aging population in Steveston. The pub's demographic is now limited to the senior population as young people can't afford to stay in Steveston and they only visit during holidays and weekends, he explained.
Another gathering place available next door
Lazos suggested the hotel restaurant, Steveston Hotel & Cafe, could be an alternative for community members in need of a gathering place as it is fully licensed for food and alcohol.
While he doesn't think the Buck & Ear sign is worth saving — "it is falling apart" — Lazos has been working on keeping some elements of the pub, such as the old screens, by incorporating them into the restaurant.
"We will try to make it as cosy as the present pub," he told the committee.
The motion to grant a permit to alter the exterior of the Buck & Ear was carried and will be brought to the city council's meeting on July 8 for final approval.
With files from Maria Rantanen and BIV
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