Third reading of the bylaw to rezone Lot L from rural residential to industrial was rescinded on Oct. 1 after councillors were told they needed to consider the rezoning as it relates to the liquid waste management plan.
“I can not support that I have read that [liquid waste management plan document] and have considered this in conjunction with those plans,” Coun. Darnelda Siegers said at the Oct. 1 regular council meeting.
“I did not read those 570 pages last night, so I can not support that at this time.”
After rescinding the previous third reading, Siegers moved to table consideration of a new third reading to rezone Lot L in order to give herself time to read the liquid waste management plan.
All but councillors Doug Hockley and Chris Moore were in favour, so the motion to table passed.
Later in the meeting councillors discussed subdividing Lot L into four parcels and selling off the lower two parcels for no less than $300,000 each, once the rezoning is complete.
Chief of innovation and growth Ron Buchhorn clarified that the District didn’t intend to sell the top two parcels because they were earmarked for the new public works building.
“We’re looking at the disposition of lots A and B, which is the lower half of the property,” Buchhorn said.
Moore said he wanted to see the District prepare a preliminary layout approval (PLA) for the subdivision so that the municipality could “go to the market for disposition.”
He put forward a motion that council approve the four lot subdivision of Lot L and that staff dispose of lots A and B through a PLA with a minimum selling price of $300,000 per lot. All but councillors Alice Lutes and Mike Shanks voted in favour, so the motion passed.
Although rezoning of the property was not complete this week, Buchhorn said the District planned to start looking for expressions of interest to purchase the lower half of Lot L.
“We will look for interest in acquiring the property as a result of our notice of disposition, and it will stipulate that the property is in the process of undergoing rezoning,” Buchhorn said. “What we want to get is just an indication of how much interest there is in the property and whether we get significant value for that lower piece on which the power lines cross, which don’t have a lot of strategic value for the District.”
Lot L is a 3.5 hectare property off Dusty Road that was purchased by the previous council as the location for a new sewage treatment plant. The current council chose Ebbtide Street as the site for the new plant, and therefore Lot L was deemed as surplus.
The District has said that some of Lot L will be used for a new public works building, as the old building on Ebbtide street was torn down to make way for the new treatment plant.
