The land exchange between the city and Husky is moving forward.
City Council granted the first reading of a bylaw which would subdivide a parcel of land in order to complete a land exchange with Husky Oil Operations Ltd. and Husky Midstream General Partnership. The land is located east of 62 Avenue and 62 Street and was given to Husky as part of a land exchange agreement. The land will also be rezoned to medium industrial as part of the subdivision.
“They’re one of our biggest employers and contribute a lot to our city. We’re happy to have them,” says Deputy Mayor Michael Diachuk.
During the council meeting, Councilor Ken Baker questioned city staff on what Husky has planned for the land as he was worried it could disrupt future plans for the city. City manager Dion Pollard says in his conversations with the company they implied the land would be used as a storage yard or office space.
Diachuk praised city staff on their forward-thinking and due diligence for their work on the land exchange.
“As Councilor Baker pointed out, you want to make sure you have a utility corridor in place and how it fits into all the other plans that are going on in the city that not only comply with today but with the future vision of the city. Making sure that you have the time to do it in a way that you’re going to protect the city and its interests are really what’s most important.”
Councillor Jonathan Torresan says city council is no rush and is willing to hear the concerns from the community about the future of the land.
“It’s one of those housekeeping issues where a small sliver of land that they believe they could have more use of then we can. At the end of the day, I don’t think either of these are immediate or pressing and it’ll take as long as it needs to take.”
A public hearing will be held at City Hall on February 10 at 2 p.m.