Got two to four acres of commercial or industrial land within St. Albert’s borders to sell?
The City of St. Albert might take it off your hands.
A notice was recently posted on the City of St. Albert website, with numerous social media posts pointing to the call for expressions of interest for land on which the city could potentially build the new library and new arena.
The land should be between two and four acres of land that’s already serviced, or can be by January 2018. A note on the city’s blog notes a highly visible location is preferred, as is close proximity to major roadways.
Bare land is also the preference, but existing surface developments will be considered.
“We’d really like to hear from people sooner rather than later,” said Monique St. Louis, the director of Build St. Albert.
About two acres is needed for each project. The new facilities might occupy the same land or be built separately.
St. Louis said the city is trying to cast a large net to see what’s out there. There have been approaches by land owners in the past, she said.
What’s for sale isn’t always public, she said.
“There’s not always a sign in the ground,” she said.
The approach to find out what may be on offer is a call for expressions of interest. St. Louis said expressions of interests are not binding.
Plans for a corporate land strategy are currently under consideration. A report attached to the guiding principles given to council in February noted that nearly 100 acres of land is needed for the city’s capital plans in the next 10 years.
The city owns about 16 per cent of the land in St. Albert, including some large parcels in the Badger Lands and Riverlot 7 and Riverlot 8.
But those bigger parcels aren’t serviced yet and aren’t likely to be for some time.
“That land is for the longer term,” St. Louis said.
Other smaller lots in the city’s inventory aren’t necessarily a good fit for these capital projects. By throwing open the doors to expressions of interest, staff hope to get a better idea of what’s available in St. Albert.
