North Bay City council has agreed to purchase approximately 86 acres of land adjacent to Omischl Sports Field beside the location of the future community centre.
The cost is $295,000 or $3,430 an acre.
“At the proposed price it is seen as a good value and great asset for the city to move forward with,” said councillor Chris Mayne.
The property was once presented to the city as a site for a new arena.
“We were approached during our RFP (request for proposal) to put the new community centre on this piece of property. We chose not to. We went right next door to our city-owned property,” said Deputy Mayor Tanya Vrebosch.
“What they said was ‘Why don’t you buy it anyway?’ It is right beside it so there could be some opportunities.’”
Roughly 30 acres of the land is developable, with utility services already available from Lakeshore Drive.
And the green space at the back of the property could provide year-round recreational opportunities.
“While it is unusual for the city to invest in real estate in the community, this piece of property adjacent to the Omischl Sports Field presents a unique opportunity,” said Councillor Chris Mayne.
“It gives us additional room to expand if we need to. With the provision of the sewer and water service along Lakeshore Drive about five years ago, there is good serviceable, developable land at the front of the property adjacent to Lakeshore Drive. At the back of the property is the Lavase River. So, I think that offers excellent recreational opportunities for trails and potential boardwalks in that area as well.”
The Deputy Mayor sees the potential for expansion when the time is right.
“We can eventually extend the community centre if we need to, or we could have an ecopark in the back. The possibilities are there to make more trails, or if we needed more parking.”
But what really interests Vrebosch is the idea of using a portion of the property for housing construction.
“We haven’t had a lot of property that we were are able to control what goes on it when it comes to housing,” said Vrebosch.
“We have the ability to now create something, and this is just my opinion, but I really truly believe that small lot development bungalows are what we really need right now, especially for seniors.”
Her vision extends beyond housing.
“You can have a commercial area whether it is restaurants or a little bit of shopping. But you have the community centre next door where they can do the walking track, they can go skating, they can do activities,” explained Vrebosch.
“We will be able to reap the benefits through the sale of houses at some point. So, we could sell it to a developer for a price. But the other thing is we are protecting the parkland right behind it and that is going to go hand in hand with the community centre.”
A discussion on how best to use the property, whether it is for commercial or residential or a combination of the two is something council will engage in, once the staff report is ready.
