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Residents invited to purchase surplus lots

Murray Neil (l)and Marc Sevigny asked council Tuesday night to reconsider selling five surplus lots close to their homes.




















Murray Neil (l)and Marc Sevigny asked council Tuesday night to reconsider selling five surplus lots close to their homes.
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Two Glenwood Road residents who asked North Bay council last night to reconsider selling five city-owned residential lots on adjoining Parkwood Drive were invited instead to put in an offer for the properties.

The lots are among the 22 surplus land parcels which were recently put up for sale as part of Mayor Vic Fedeli’s 2020 Vision Plan.

But Marc Sevigny and Murray Neil say if the lots are sold and developed it will block their view of an attached greenbelt known as ‘Finger Park’ and lower their property values.

Primarily rock
Neil said Parkwood Drive isn’t serviced, and a sanitary sewer would have to be installed before any development could occur. And, Neil added, the lots contain primarily rock.

“Massive rock would have to be excavated first before anything could be done with those properties,” Neil said last night at a public budget meeting.

Approved value
If, in a worst-case scenario, council was intent on selling the lots to developers, Sevigny said, he suggested their current depths of 164 feet be reduced to 100 feet, to conform to other nearby properties.

That, at least, would save his view of the greenbelt.

Alternately, Neil said, could consider reversing its decision to declare the five lots surplus.

Coun. Maureen Boldt then suggested Neil, Sevigny and other neighbours on the street might want to band together and purchase the properties from the city “at the approved value.”

“It’s a win-win solution for both sides,” Boldt said.

Neil and Sevigny said they would consider that particular option.