Coaldale asks province to buy 7-Eleven property
Land situated in a high-traffic area
The Town of Coaldale is calling on Alberta Transportation to purchase the old 7Eleven convenience store and gas station off Highway 3 and 20 Street.
In a letter sent to the Minister of Transportation Brian Mason from Coaldale Mayor Kim Craig, Alberta Transportation is urged to purchase the land, due to it being in a high-traffic area.
There is not enough turn space at that intersection for semis to safely enter or exit and, as a result, semis drive on to the sidewalk, which is hazardous for pedestrians, and the intersection is a safety hazard for school buses and children.
“I am contacting you as there is a commercial property that recently became available for purchase that is adjacent to Highway 3 and our main street,” the letter reads.
“This location previously housed a 7-Eleven convenience store and gas station and was closed down earlier this week and is currently being dismantled. It would be better suited to acquire the land for the purpose of future road widening as well as reduced congestion.”
The land in question is owned by 7-Eleven Canada Inc. According to town CAO Kalen Hastings, as the intersection is located at the intersection of two province-owned highways — Highway 3 and Highway 845 — it “makes sense” for the province to purchase that land.
“It makes sense, if you look from a long-term, infrastructure planning prospective, that they acquire land at a major intersection such as that,” said Hastings.
“I think anyone who comes to Coaldale knows there’s congestion issues at that intersection at peak times. We want to make sure that they’re aware of what’s happening here at a local level, so they, and their land group and their transportation planning group, can be proactive, think long term and acquire that land so future infrastructure upgrades to that land can take place.”
Hastings said the Town hasn’t heard what 7-Eleven’s timeline is for selling the land, but they do know “they’re not going to be opening again.”
There is also the question of whether the land is considered a brownfield, a commercial or industrial property that “is, or possibly is, contaminated; is vacant, derelict or under-utilized; and is suitable for development or redevelopment for the general benefit of the municipality.”