Just months before the election, Alberta’s opposition party has committed to funding part of the servicing of a local businesses district if elected.
On Wednesday afternoon, Alberta’s opposition leader Rachel Notley committed to helping fund the servicing of the Lakeview Business District in St. Albert if elected, during a St. Albert and District Chamber of Commerce meeting.
St. Albert Mayor Cathy Heron said the announcement was welcome news and noted the next step to get the west side of development underway is to start the work on Lakeview, which is slated to become an industrial area in the city.
“It's our number one priority,” the mayor said.
“We get calls all the time looking for people that want to set up in St. Albert and we are out of land.”
The Lakeview Business District is a currently non-serviced portion of land covered under the West ASP which is partially owned by the city. It sits west of Ray Gibbon Drive and north of Big Lake.
Heron said the city will be looking for a partnership between the city, province, and feds, with each group paying roughly one-third of the cost. Right now Notley said she doesn't know what the final cost will be, but is committed to working with the city to get a funding deal done.
Notley said the industrial area has the potential to unlock a lot of economic development and wants to see the province step up as a partner.
“It's one of those things that helps us attract new investment and out of province investment. If the job creators who are looking for that kind of space see it there, and particularly when they see it attached to a community like St. Albert close to Edmonton its really good,” Notley said.
Right now, Heron said they don’t have a final number on the cost of the project, however she estimates it could be anywhere from $60 to $80 million. A lot of the costs are recoverable through offsite levies, Heron noted, which is a way developers pay back some of the costs for the services once the land is developed.
“The actual cost of the public is maybe $30 million,” Heron said.
The business district will also be important for the tax rate in the city, the mayor said, as it will bring more non-residential tax revenue to St. Albert, easing the tax burden on residents.
If the funding for the district comes through this year, Heron said she could see shovels in the ground by next year, and building going up by 2026.
The mayor said the commitment came thanks to the tireless work of St. Albert NDP MLA Marie Renaud who advocated to get the funding for Ray Gibbon Drive, and now to get potential funding for Lakeview.
The current UCP government is aware of the need for funding of services for Lakeview Business District, Heron said, but hasn’t made any financial commitments. Morinville- St. Albert UCP MLA Dale Nally has a mention of the district in his re-election campaign literature.
The provincial election is slated for May 29, 2023.
