After sitting vacant for decades, a section of Selkirk’s Main Street is set to be developed – a move being applauded as a step towards the revitalization of the area. On Thursday Selkirk Mayor Larry Johannson was joined by GS Development Group for a groundbreaking at 287 Main St. The former gas station site has sat empty for the past 30 years. “This project is another strong example that Selkirk is open for business,” Johannson said. The build, which is already underway, will have six commercial units including a drive-thru restaurant. Developer Jay Singh said four of the units have already been leased. “This place, which was actually a sore thumb on a main street for a number of years, and we hope we will change it to something more beautiful,” he said. “It’s the momentum which the City of Selkirk has started towards, the progress and revitalizing of Main Street. I think this is a step towards that.” It’s welcome news for Johannson, who said he’s been working for years to breathe some life into the lot. “This day, I didn’t know if I was going to be around to see it, but I’m so excited that we’re here,” he said. As for why it took so long, Johannson said a previous owner of the lot sat on the property. He said he tried setting up temporary skating rinks or community activities on the site, but to no avail. “I thought having kids skating here and enjoying themselves would be such a nice touch,” he said. “But everything about this lot, they just—they didn’t really want to do anything with it.” Singh said the lot, a former gas station, was under remediation for a long time as well. “It’s the number of years I’ve been passing by this road, and I’ve seen this lot,” he said. “I always thought, ‘Hey, there could be something that could come up here.’” He said GS Development Group reached out to the lot’s owner with a plan for the commercial hub, and brought it to the city. To make it happen, Johannson said the city is letting the developer use the back lane directly beside the build for the drive-thru. The lane is no longer used or maintained by the city, according to city documents. A city spokesperson confirmed the lane remains city property, though an agreement allows the developer to use and enhance it. Gail Monkman, who lives directly beside that back lane, wasn’t happy about the news. “They’re going to build a fence along our fence, do stuff with lighting,” she said. “But even that, if you look at our back lane, like what’s a fence going to do for 150 feet of vehicles being there paused and making noise?” Meanwhile, other Selkirk residents say they are just glad to see something finally going up. “Well, it’s about time. Obviously, not nice to have an empty lot all these years, nothing being done with it,” said Gary Cholosky, a lifelong Selkirk resident. “Make some jobs, things like that. It can hurt. Good to see it being used.” Singh said he hopes to have the project completed by early 2027.
