City looks to sell property for $1
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
We need your support!
Local journalism needs your support!
As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed.
Now, more than ever, we need your support.
Starting at $15.99 plus taxes every four weeks you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website.
Subscribe Nowor call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527.
Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community!
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Brandon Sun access to your Winnipeg Free Press subscription for only
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
*$1 will be added to your next bill. After your 4 weeks access is complete your rate will increase by $4.99 a X percent off the regular rate.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/02/2024 (571 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Brandon City Council voted unanimously to list the property the city owns at 215 12th St. North for just $1 to a developer willing to build an affordable housing project on it.
Council first discussed the sale in an in-camera portion of Tuesday’s meeting, approving a motion to list it for sale after returning to an open session.
During the public discussion of the motion, city director of planning and buildings Ryan Nickel said a group had expressed interest years ago in building tiny homes for veterans on the property, but that project never panned out.
The open lot on 12th Street North and Parker Boulevard in Brandon, as seen on Friday. (Matt Goerzen/The Brandon Sun)
Speaking to the Sun on Friday, Nickel said the city has been assessing its housing needs since then and ultimately decided trying to alleviate homelessness was the best use of the property.
“Typically, with some of these types of land holding, we go through a call-for-proposals process,” Nickel said.
“But that’s only a successful process when we know we have multiple interested providers in doing this type of thing. In this case, we were not aware of any specific interest.”
The hope is that by listing the site, an interested party will come forward to build and operate an affordable housing development.
Nickel shared a proposed concept for the property that would see 30 200-square-foot units and 25 250-square-foot units built.
The units would be built in either five- or 10-unit blocks, separated by common green spaces and garden areas and with a common building at one end.
While the purchaser won’t be required to build something identical to that concept in exchange for buying the property at a nominal price, they would need to do something in keeping with that spirit.
Then, they would have to start building within two years or the city would have the option to re-purchase the land for the selling price.
When discussing proposed measures the city is considering in order to access money from the federal Housing Accelerator Fund earlier this year, Nickel said the city is running out of suitable land to provide for housing developments and pitched changing its land acquisition policy so that it would acquire property when the right opportunity arises.
“We find that our role as a city is best suited to providing land and we’ve been successful in the past, but we’re running a bit low,” Nickel said Friday.
“Where we’re at now is we’re looking for opportunities to start to replenish our inventory a little bit, so we can look at partnerships like the one we’re looking at now and potentially others in the future.”
Nickel said a listing for the property is expected to be posted on the city’s website next week and the city is happy to have conversations with groups interested in developing it.
» cslark@brandonsun.com
» X: @ColinSlark