More than half of the land once occupied by the Black Knight Inn in Red Deer has been sold.
The Landsperg Automotive Group (LAG) recently purchased three acres, or more than half, of the 5.6-acre former Black Knight Inn site.
As owners of Kia Red Deer, officials with LAG are planning to move the car dealership to that prominent location in south Red Deer.
The Kia dealership is now located at 7652 in north Red Deer, but doesn’t have the best visibility, said Jesse Grove, vice-president of Landsperg Automotive Group. “It’s tucked away in not as visible a spot.”
Grove said he likes the south side of the city and believes this will be a better location for Kia Red Deer.
LAG still needs to get a development permit for building a dealership office from the City of Red Deer. But Groves hopes construction can begin in the spring, so the move can happen in the fall of 2023.
Kia Red Deer is described on its website as being part of a 13-store auto group with a service team as well as a sales team.
Some kind of retail/commercial complex is planned for land purchased by LAG that sits right at 30th Street and Gaetz Avenue. No specific tenants have yet been signed, “we’re waiting for offers,” said Grove.
Commercial realtor Brett Salomons believes the dealership move and the commercial/retail plans for the Black Knight Inn property are very suitable for that high-profile location. A listing on his website says the site is exposed to 20,000-plus vehicles daily.
While the remaining 2.56 acres of former Black Knight property at the southern-most end remains unsold for now, a sale is pending, said Salomons. He hopes to be able to release more information by January.
The 98-room, eight-storey Black Knight Inn went into receivership early in the pandemic. Its contents were auctioned off in 2021 and the building was torn down last March.
The landmark inn had previously operated on that spot with a lounge, restaurant and dinner theatre for 44 years.
lmichelin@reddeeradvocate.com
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