The City of Moose Jaw plans to subdivide property on the west end of town to help encourage the sale of the land for industrial development.
During its recent regular meeting, city council voted 6-1 to approve the subdivision of parcels D and E, subject to two conditions. Those conditions include deferring the dedication of municipal reserve land for a propose parcel H; registering an interest on the property title under the Planning and Development Act, 2007; registering easements on all existing area municipal infrastructure; and having the mayor and city clerk authorize the issue of a certificate of approval that incorporates the conditions.
Coun. Brian Swanson was opposed.
Background
The two parcels in question are located on the southwest corner of 24th Avenue West and Caribou Street West. Each parcel is a separate piece; D was 3.604 hectares (8.91 acres) pre-subdivision and post-subdivision is 3.554 hectares (8.8 acres), while E was 10.551 hectares (26.07 acres) pre-subdivision and 8.531 hectares (21.08 acres) post-subdivision.
Historically, the municipality developed the area for a mix of heavy industry, farmland and pastureland, Michelle Sanson, director of planning and development, explained to council. There are currently two leases on the property. The city will carve out parcel MU1 (0.05 hectares/0.11 acres) from D to accommodate an existing SaskTel lease. The Crown corporation has used this piece as a utility parcel to accommodate communications growth in Moose Jaw.
The municipality will carve out Parcel H (2.02 hectares/4.99 acres) from E, as there is an offer to purchase agreement for $96,600 with MackSun Solar Corporation for a solar farm on H. There is also an additional 125 to 130 acres south of H — located in The Flats — included in that proposal. The deadline for the purchase agreement for E — which council has extended four times — is Dec. 31.
There is also an additional 82.21 acres available in this area for $180,000, or roughly $2,189 per acre.
Parcels D and E are under offer to purchase agreements with numbered company 102089713 Saskatchewan Limited. After some investigation, the Express has determined the owners of the numbered company are Vancouver businessmen Allen Leung and his brother Donald. They own Donald’s Fine Foods, the Thunder Creek Pork Plant, and the former XL Beef plant.
The brothers also own numbered company 102050303 Saskatchewan Limited, which also has dealings in Moose Jaw.
Scrutinizing the details
The area is zoned M2 — heavy industrial district, with the purpose to provide for large-scale industrial development that could produce problems for other land uses, Sanson said. Any development on the new parcel H must comply with the provisions of this zoning district.
“No land use is proposed at this time,” she remarked.
Subdivision does not usually get into the future use of properties, but rather, ensures the proposal meets the requirements of the Planning and Development Act, Sanson later told the Express. City hall would scrutinize the development details during the development permit stage. Right now, the municipality is leaving it to the developer to announce the specific type of development that will happen there.
Under that act, the municipality may also collect land or cash-in-lieu for five per cent of the land involved in an industrial subdivision for a municipal reserve, she continued. Municipal reserve lands are transferred to the municipality, while it can use the property in different ways that would benefit the public.
“Collecting MR land or cash-in-lieu at this time is not necessary since there is no development plan for this area which would require public space,” Sanson said, adding city hall would collect land or cash-in-lieu in the future if there were further subdivisions for parcel H.
The next regular council meeting is June 15.
