Prince Albert city council tabled debate on two items at Monday’s council meeting over concerns residents haven’t had enough time to look over the deal.
Items 11.10 and 11.11 will be brought back for a vote at the next regular council meeting in 2020. The two items would have closed a portion of an undeveloped right-of-way south of the intersection between Third Avenue Northwest and Riverside Drive in Hazeldell, and sold to nearby private land owner Deanna Macsymic.
Ward 2 Coun. Terra Lennox-Zepp was the driving force behind the decision to table both items. She said there’s nothing in the proposal that indicates the matter is urgent, so council can wait and give residents a chance to take a closer look.
“I’m concerned that we don’t have enough information quite yet,” Lennox-Zepp said during Monday’s meeting. “This is not something that went to executive committee. It’s here at a binding council meeting. I’m hoping that we could have some time to hear … perhaps some more fulsome information from the public on this issue.”
Planning and Development Director Craig Guidinger said the City is not required to give notice to property owners within 75 meters of the undeveloped roadway, but they are required to give a general public notice. He told council they’ll issue one when the next meeting takes place.
The undeveloped roadway is roughly 6,587 square feet, and serves no purpose for a road allowance or any other access to neighbourhood properties, according to a report from City Property Coordinator Leanne Fyrk. It’s zoned as residual land, which typically sells for $1 per square foot in residential areas. The purchaser hopes to consolidate the city-owned property with her own on Riverside Drive.
Fyrk wrote that there is no reason to retain the property as it is of no value to the City. The purchase was reviewed by the Planning and Services Department, with no concerns or issues identified.
The property sits between the North Saskatchewan River and the intersection of Riverside Drive and Third Avenue Northwest.