City-owned land released to develop 600-acre Constellation industrial park
Work is proceeding at a steady pace to release more city-owned land for industrial purposes. First in line is Constellation industrial park, where 12 lots in Phase 1A have been released to market.
It's a huge project that covers a total of 600 acres. Spencer Mcclurg, city manager of real estate sales and acquisitions, says the project will result in the largest stripping and grading operation in the city's industrial land history.
The park stretches from Peigan Trail south to Glenmore Trail S.E., and from just east of 52nd Street to Stoney Trail. Phase 1A, off 52nd Street, is offering lots starting at $810,000 per acre, from approximately two to 11.5 acres that are shovel-ready for immediate development. Architectural guidelines have been set to ensure high-quality buildings and site designs — no small shops and large yards. Better use is for industrial/warehousing.
Promotional materials indicate the parcels will be fully serviced and the city will provide paved roads, sidewalks and street lighting, plus police and firefighting services. Transit will serve the entire development, and a major selling point is the location with easy access to transportation corridors — helped by a future interchange at Peigan and 68th Street — and proximity to both the Canadian Pacific Kansas City Intermodal and the CN Terminal.
The city has owned the lands since the 1960s and the time is ripe to open them to development that will offer sources of employment and new tax revenues for city coffers.
Constellation will also help with the housing shortage as five per cent of gross sales proceeds go to the city's affordable housing program.
Over the past 10 years, that has provided a total of more than $21 million from the sale of industrial lands.
The need for industrial lands is high and Mcclurg says that planning for the release of
Phase 2B is being fast-tracked. Immediately adjacent, it will offer larger parcels of land from 10 to 20 acres, and as development spreads southwards, much bigger sizes of land will be made available.
Mcclurg and his team are also being kept busy on a number of other fronts.
The city is taking a new look at its proposed Aurora Business Park north of Beddington Trail to the east of Harvest Hills Boulevard. A new process planning exercise is underway to determine the best use of the property, which can now entertain high-density residential.
Next sales will be in the former Midfield Mobile Home Park along 16th Avenue N.E. that backs onto The Winston Golf Club. Lots will be made available next month that will include seven multi-family sites, with up to two for affordable housing. Along the Trans-canada, mixed-use will allow for residential above retail shopping. The city has completed the first round of engagement to help decide the best way to redevelop the 8.9-acre site of the former R.B. Bennett School in Bowness, framed by 33rd and 31st avenues and Bowwood Drive N.W.; initial thoughts are to accommodate evolving multi-family housing needs.
Add the files for Riverbend at 24th Street S.E., Harvest
Hills at 96th Avenue and the recent repurchasing of the lands surrounding the Westbrook
LRT station, and the city real estate and development services department has a lot on its plate.
NOTES:
■ Jeff Bradshaw has been making great videos for the past 28 years but has now decided on a big change. He has sold his company, V Strategies, to longtime friend and colleague Matt Gillespie — owner of Joe Media — and launched 0260.AI. Gillespie will keep the V team intact while Bradshaw has a new mission to make AI simple and accessible to everyone. His aim is to empower businesses to harness AI'S potential, drive growth and prepare for AI'S future.
■ Milestones grill and bar has been a popular dining spot in Market Mall for a long time. Now, people in the northwest part of the city have another location to enjoy with the opening of a new eatery in the neighbourhood of Royal Oak along 112th Avenue N.W.