City hall to haggle for access rights through Valley View property
City administration believes there will be no cost to negotiate access rights through the former Valley View Centre property but will report back to city council if any financial concerns arise.
To facilitate the sale of the Valley View Centre (VVC) property, the Saskatchewan Property Management Corporation (SPMC) wants to subdivide lands that are not intended to be part of future transactions, a city council report explained.
The property contains a protected portion of 14 hectares (35 acres) of the Wakamow Valley that will be transferred to the Wakamow Valley Authority following the subdivision, as well as a portion of a private residential road and pasture land that is 32 hectares (80 acres) in size. The SPMC intends to shut down vehicle access through the VVC property by March 31. During its March 23 regular meeting, council voted unanimously on two motions to have city administration negotiate and approve the arrangement of primary physical access through the two pieces of property, with the existing property owners to provide access to the new parcels.
Wakamow Valley
This land — SW ¼ Sec 29-16-26-2 — contains several zoning districts, including river valley conservation district (RVC), urban holding (UH), flood fringe (F1), and slump zone (S1/2), the report said.
A requirement of all subdivision approvals in the province is there must be a provision of both legal and physical primary access to the new parcel, explained Michelle Sanson, director of planning and development. There is legal access to the property over the Seventh Avenue Southwest Bridge, however, flood damaged the bridge in 2013 and affected its structural integrity.
This means all affected properties are accessed either on foot across the bridge or by vehicle through the VVC property.
Council has been told repairs to the bridge will cost $500,000, which means the bridge would only last until the next flood, said Coun. Brian Swanson. Council could also replace the bridge for $4.5 million. However, neither amount is in the five-year capital budget. What concerned Swanson, though, was how the motion seemed to suggest that city administration did not need council’s approval to negotiate for the property. “Our intent would be to have zero impact on the budget,” said city manager Jim Puffalt. “If there was more than that, we would come back to council for discussion.”
Specifically, city administration would report back if the provincial government said it would continue to provide access to the VVC property, while it would also report back and seek further authorization if an agreement on the bridge can be reached, he continued. Projects such as this are sensitive, large in undertaking, and have many issues to work out.
There is currently no money in the budget for the provision of access through this property, Puffalt added, which is why negotiations must happen.
Valley View Property
This piece of land is part of SW ¼ Sec. 29-16-26-2 Ext. 1. The subdivision application will affect two existing parcels and would include the creation of a new agricultural parcel and the re-arranging of boundaries of an existing residential property, the report explained. The land is primarily zoned UH, with some portions as RVC and S1/2. The continued use of the land for agriculture aligns with the existing zoning and the Official Community Plan. The residential use is grandfathered in and cannot be expanded without a zoning amendment. The additional land to be added to the residential property can be used for yard space only. The subdivision will allow continued access through a private road to two existing residential properties, the report added. It will also separate pasture lands that the adjacent residential property uses.