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City's economic development branch to move downtown

The worst kept secret in town is finally a done deal. Come January, the City of St. Albert’s economic development branch is moving to a new location at the former CIBC building on 29 Sir Winston Churchill Avenue.

The worst kept secret in town is finally a done deal.

Come January, the City of St. Albert’s economic development branch is moving to a new location at the former CIBC building on 29 Sir Winston Churchill Avenue.

Guy Boston, executive director for economic development, said the city signed a 10-year lease with Werhun Management Inc. on Monday afternoon.

The 502 square metre (5,400 square foot) new City of St. Albert Business Centre will house 15 employees from economic development (including business licensing), the office of community sustainability (formerly environment), and strategic initiatives and government relations.

Boston said the centre will make it more convenient for potential investors and the business community to access city hall.

“We are very close to the seat of government and quite often the big and serious investors are interested in understanding the political support and political environment associated with their investments,” he said.

“It’s closer to city government in the downtown area and it makes it more of a business centre than out at the edge of town.”

The $150,000 cost of the relocation received city council approval in 2012 as part of a phased plan to address space needs for city staff.

Boston said a number of departments in the city were experiencing space crunches. The move will free up office space at city hall and other buildings, he said.

Economic development (formerly business and tourism development) currently shares an office on 71 St. Albert Trail with the St. Albert and District Chamber of Commerce.

“The space is limited … I couldn’t even move in there. I am not working there and I am the director,” Boston said.

“So, that was one component that we needed to address. How do we have a functioning economic development unit that is adequately resourced and spaced to serve St. Albert, to attract investors?”

The chamber will meet on Thursday to discuss its future housing options.

“Certainly one of them is to stay where we are. I don’t think we’ll be left out in the cold,” said Mike Howes, chair of the chamber’s building committee.

“We are still not a hundred per cent sure what our future looks like but we know that we were told that we have first dibs on the building.”

The office space currently shared by the chamber and economic development is rented out by the City of St. Albert, but the province of Alberta owns the land. Howes said neither has suggested the chamber has to move.

He added the chamber is continuously expanding, and had identified a need for larger office space in the past, which is why it created a building committee.

“We don’t want to jump into the first thing that comes along. We want to weigh our options and see what we can do.”

The chamber hopes to eventually own its own building, he said.

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