The Lake Country Co-operative Association has offered the City of Prince Albert $400,000 plus GST for 1.64 acres of land in the West Hill area to build a new multi-unit commercial building.
The parcel is located at the corner of 28th Street and 10th Avenue West, immediately south of the Alfred Jenkins Field House. The development will include a liquor store, as well as space for other commercial uses, according to a report included in the agenda for Monday’s council meeting.
City administrators have recommended council give the sale conditional approval. The parcel of land was previously linked to the First Nations University (FNU) who sent the City a letter of intent in 2022 outlining plans to purchase the land for their future campus.
“While FNU has provided the City with an LOI to purchase the same land, their purchase price is $1, and the land in question may not be taxable in the future,” reads a report written by Planning Manager Kristina Karpluk. “With this land being on the corner of 28th Street and 10th Ave. West, it has high-value potential, so selling it for commercial development maximizes the future tax revenue that may be generated.”
Karpluk wrote that the City still has land available to the south and west of the parcel. She suggested the City sell that land to FNU instead.
“(That) means their future location can still be in the West Hill,” Karpluk wrote. “As part of the continued review of the offer to purchase, Administration is in communication with FNU to discuss the change in location, with the goal of ensuring that they are satisfied and can move forward as intended.”
Karpluk added that selling the parcel to Lake Country means the City can expect “a considerable amount of revenue” through application and permit fees, in addition to tax revenue. She wrote that the $400,000 price tag, minus $92,527.20 in Development Levies, is “considered a fair price.”
According to the report, Lake Country still has a number permits and processes to complete before the sale can be finalized.
City administrators began discussing the potential sale with Co-op representatives in November. The Co-op has the only remaining available liquor licence in Prince Albert, according to Karpluk’s report, and must use it within a specific timeline per SLGA regulations.
The sale will also need to be approved by the Lake Country Co-op Board of Directors. The development also must be approved by the SLGA.
In addition to the FNU campus and proposed Lake Country-Coop development, a new Francophone School will also be built in the area.
The Lake Country offer is one of 13 reports city council will vote on during the next council meeting on Monday. There are also three motions from councillors, and a public hearing on bylaws that need to be approved so the Metis Nation – Saskatchewan can move ahead with a land development project south of 30th Street West, and along Marquis Road West.
