Work Commences On Servicing Canadian Tire Property As Full Payment Made
By Robert Thomas
Servicing Commences as City Receives Full Payment
“A year ago it was pretty sketchy whether it was going to happen or not,” city manager Jim Puffalt said about the Canadian Tire retail development which recently saw the City start the work to service the property.
Property which has now been fully paid for.
The apparent final sale was reported by MJ Independent after attending a Moose Jaw Exhibition Company board meeting which included details of the sale not previously released to the public.
Planned by Canadian Tire Real Estate Limited (CTREL) the commercial development proposes to so far construct three retail outlets to house Canadian Tire, Mark’s Work Wearhouse and Sportcheck.
When asked by MJ Independent Puffalt said CTREL has paid the City the entire $3,171,725 for the 11.95 acre property - including a non-refundable deposit of $250,000 paid in January.
The deal includes the sale of 11.95 acres of serviced lands at a cost of $265,000 an acre previously leased to the Moose Jaw Exhibition Company. The land purchased by CTREL is in the far southeast corner of the Exhibition leased property.
A look at the location of the development before work began - MJ Independent file photo
As part of the upcoming service work the City will not only service the property sold to CTREL but also a partial infrastructure connection will be completed on the 21.4 acre property directly to the north of the CTREL’s development.
The agreement also includes numerous exclusions as to what may be built on the 21.4 acre property to the north. Some of the exclusions include the building of casinos, churches and hotels in the north property. The land sale agreement effectively ties up the use of the north property for decades as CTREL also holds the right of first refusal to buy the site if another developer decides to propose a development there.
Addressing the post Council media conference Puffalt said the City had to “find ways to (seal the deal) and be creative.” The deal has been on the backburner since its announcement four and a half years ago.
Asked by MJ Independent if the term “be creative” might mean further concessions had been granted to CTREL Puffalt said it referred to looking for solutions to get the deal done and did not entail additional further concessions to the retail giant.
The final deal for the development was part of the 2020 Budget discussions.
“We found ways to work together,” he said, adding that included the extension of water to the property directly north of Canadian Tire’s development.
“This helps us to get water up to that end (north property) and we will make it happen,” he said.
The City has selected contractor KMS Construction to install the sewer, storm and water main pipe to the site, with construction estimated to be complete by June 15, 2021, weather permitting.
Contractor HCL Construction has already begun other site preparation work and has done a good job according to an April 20th report to the Moose Jaw Exhibition Company board of directors.
“This has been good as Robbie Lewis respects what we are doing and has been careful not to cause any problems,” the report to the Exhibition Board read.
The City of Moose Jaw is asking drivers to obey all traffic signage and exercise caution for the safety of everyone during the constructuon.
No dates have been released as to when the retail giant will begin their work on the development but they must commence work by October 2022.