PRINCE GEORGE – A new condominium project about to take shape in downtown Prince George is both a welcome addition to the available inventory of residential properties located in the city’s inner core, and a showpiece for some of the most advanced building technology found anywhere.
“There are two keys to this project, one is that this is a new venture for a light steel manufacturing company with truly global connections and experience who are wanting to break into the Canadian marketplace,” explained project developer Clint Dahl.
“We’ve partnered up with the creator of the light steel construction technique, Yag Inc., as they want to become established in Canada. The other key is that their first Canadian project will be this six-story condominium project in downtown Prince George.”
“This is a very exciting project for Prince George, in part because Council and Administration are working so hard to encourage development downtown,” says Mayor Lyn Hall. “For example, this project benefited from our innovative tax exemption program, which is stimulating more and more development in our downtown. It’s one way that we foster confidence and encourage developers to make investments that benefit our whole community. On behalf of Council I would like to extend our appreciation to Suleyman Muftigil, Clint Dahl and their team for their commitment to our City.”
The parent company of the construction project is based in Turkey and has been involved in the construction of literally hundreds of projects across Asia, Europe and the Middle East. The firm has pioneered the use of light steel construction, where rolled steel components can be manufactured to match any size or shape for use as primary structural building elements. “These guys can take any drawing, whether it’s a house or a six story condo building and they can take it from rolled steel to pre-cut, pre-drilled components with literally no waste,” Dahl said.
“This allows for the pre-fabrication of the steel structure which dramatically cuts down on the construction costs by about 15 percent and the timelines to complete construction are much shorter. The Prince George condo project itself will be started in the next couple of weeks and the construction will be into full swing within the next month. The finished project should be ready for occupancy by the late spring.”
Muftigil, Yag Inc.’s owner is excited about breaking into the Canadian marketplace, and for the opportunity it provides to demonstrate the unique benefits of his light steel construction methods. “We have done over 300 projects all over the world ranging from 42 story skyscrapers to entire neighborhoods, but the ability to be based out of Canada and to use the Canadian brand will open even more doors for us to export our products right here from Prince George,” he said.
Once completed the downtown project will feature a six-story building containing 33 condominium units as well as a small commercial component on the structure’s main floor. “It’s a true retail/residential mix. Some of the space has already been allocated to a café / restaurant type thing and there will be some other cool amenities we’re working on,” Dahl said.
Dahl, who in addition to being a partner in the project and Yag Inc is also a Prince George based commercial REALTOR®, said the opportunity to work with Muftigil and his company were too good, and too exciting to pass up. “I’m involved with the business as a partner with Yag. The actual light steel manufacturing is one component and to showcase this product and this manufacturing technology we’ll be building this project in Prince George. The parent company itself has built more than 300 projects across Asia and Europe so they are a very big company,” he said.
“But they know that when they come to Canada they need to establish themselves so the idea was to partner up, create a real big showcase project in the downtown Prince George area, something that people in the city have been wanting for quite some time. This project will be a great showcase that hopefully will get the group a lot of attention to help show off what they can do. For them this project is a sort of launching pad to help introduce and grow their business in Canada.”
Yag Inc. has set up a local factory, built on the proprietary rolled steel technology it developed and later transported from Turkey to Prince George, to allow for the manufacture of the structural elements needed for the condominium project. It hopes this venture will be just the first such project it completes in Canada. But the question to be asked is why Prince George was selected as the site for the company’s first Canadian venture? For Dahl there has been more than one answer.
“There were a couple of reasons why Prince George was selected for this project instead of other places in the province. Basically he (Muftigil) said, “if we do this in Vancouver who are we? We’re just a small fish in a big pond. But if we go to a smaller market and do this we’ll really stand out – people are more likely to take notice than if this was just another project among many in a larger center.”
Dahl explained that Northern British Columbia was one of a number of different locations Yag Inc., considered before settling on Prince George. “So he looked at a number of places, Kelowna, Kamloops, Chilliwack and Prince George – Prince George rolled out the welcome mat for him. That’s what helped to cement the deal. The Mayor has always been fantastic, he and I connected very quickly and the reception that he got in the Prince George marketplace just blew him away. It said to him, ‘this is where I want to do business’ and now it’s starting to take shape.”
The opportunities offer by an expanding Northern BC also appealed to the project’s developers. “They’re definitely bullish on the north, and having an eye on creating affordable housing was another reason for locating this business in Prince George,” Dahl said. “Our downtown has changes a lot in the past five years, for the better. This development will be just one more piece that is going to help with the downtown revitalization. I think you’ll see other projects get spun out of it once it comes online. We’re already looking at a second project to start up right after this one and there are others that I think that will as well.”
For Muftigil bringing his technology and manufacturing systems to the North American marketplace, via Prince George, is as pioneering as his products are innovative. “We are excited about bringing our technology and processes to Canada and specifically Prince George. This condo project in the downtown will be a great showcase of what we can do and will also be a great addition to Prince George. I honestly believe it’s only the start of a whole new world for us, and it starts right here.”
To learn more check out the company’s website at: www.yaginc.com.
