North Vancouver’s Phibbs Exchange will soon be home to an Artigiano coffee shop.
Signs advertising the incoming coffee and pastry shop have gone up at the 638-square-foot commercial space included in the major rebuild of the transit hub finished last year.
The proprietor was selected through an open bid process, according to the transit authority.
“Artigiano is a popular, locally-owned, Vancouver-based coffee and café brand known for its high-quality, artisan-inspired coffee, snacks, and pastries,” a statement read. “Artigiano submitted a commercial offer and was selected, based on its operational agreement and ability to delivery a great amenity to our customers.”
The exact amount the coffee joint will pay for the space is considered commercially sensitive and won’t be released, according to TransLink.
“Revenue generated from this retail location will support TransLink services and investments. Our license term is typically over 10 years. We are targeting mid-2025 for the store opening,” the statement continued.
Finding a tenant to outfit and occupy the commercial space was one of the last items on the to-do list at Phibbs. Still missing, however, is a place to go for commuters when they’re on the go.
There is a washroom available to bus drivers and TransLink staff, however, the transit hub, which sees about 16,000 passengers per day pass through, has no customer washrooms.
When TransLink and the province announced the $30-million project in 2022, there was a flood of calls for the updated facility to included updated facilities.
At the time, TransLink said plumbing for customer washrooms was included in the design and construction, however a new washroom was expected to cost $1 million up front, plus $300,000 annually for maintenance and security.
Asked for an update this week, TransLink offered a statement almost identical to the ones responding to the North Shore News questions about the lack of washrooms in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
“TransLink has funding through the 2022 Investment Plan to open more public washrooms. We’re exploring opportunities for additional washroom locations across the transit system and will have more information on those locations later this year.”
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