Demolition has begun on buildings in downtown 91原创 around the City Hall and Timm鈥檚 Community Centre.

On Friday, Jan. 5, the former site of Pastime Sports and Games was being knocked down by an excavator.

Other buildings, including the former Avecina Medical Clinic, had been gutted, including the removal of windows. Crews have been active at several of the buildings over the past week, working on interior demolition.

Asbestos-containing interiors had to be taken down before the whole buildings could be demolished.

The buildings to come down in the coming days and weeks include the former 91原创 Hotel and an adjacent former pawn shop to the northeast of the Timms Centre, the block that included Pastime and the former Pipe 鈥榥鈥� Pouch location north of Timms, and Avecina to the east.

All the land is City-owned and the demolition is expected to cost $556,000.

Once demolition is complete, the sites will be used for temporary parking, in addition to what Mayor Nathan Pachal called 鈥渢actical urbanism elements.鈥� Those could include active and passive recreational opportunities.

In the long term, the land around City Hall will be used to build a performing arts centre.

The changes are part of the City鈥檚 plan for the downtown before SkyTrain arrives, expected in 2028, with the final stop on the line at 203rd Street and Fraser Highway.

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