While the status of an affordable housing development at 70 Arlington Dr. is still a question mark, it appears that an attempt by the City of St. Albert to buy the land is dead.
During a public hearing into an affordable housing development in March, council voted to pursue the purchase of the land in question, an attempt to remove the burden of ownership from the Protestant school board.
However, the school board has thrown cold water on that idea because it has a sale agreement with Habitat For Humanity – Edmonton and not the city.
“We can’t do anything more at this point in time because we have a contract with Habitat,” said Morag Pansegrau, chair of the Protestant school board.
“We reminded the mayor and council of that and that’s the way it stands right now,” she said.
The board has agreed to sell the land to Habitat For Humanity – Edmonton for $840,000. The city is providing Habitat with the funding for the purchase, through an affordable housing grant.
“Obviously, it would be simpler if Habitat bought it from us,” Pansegrau said. “What happens between Habitat and the city would be a Habitat/city issue.”
The sale contract expires at the end of May, but if Habitat requested it the board could extend the deadline as it has numerous times since the purchase agreement in 2008, Pansegrau said.
If the deal were to fall through, the board would have to consult with Alberta Education to see whether or not another sale attempt would require another request-for-proposals procedure, Pansegrau said.
Mayor Nolan Crouse said this week that he considers the idea dead based on conversations with the school board.
“Because the city didn’t do a bid, likely the city can’t step in at this late day and do it,” he said.
Habitat CEO Alfred Nikolai said he would seek another deadline extension if it appears the rezoning won’t happen before the end of May. If his organization winds up owning the land, he intends to build on it, not sell it.
“I don’t think that will ever happen,” he said.
