staff reporter
The District of Maple Ridge is getting some pro help in figuring out a future and getting the best price for the three acres it wants to sell in the downtown.
Experts from the Urban Land Institute of B.C. will use the property at 227th Street and Selkirk Avenue as the first project for a first technical assistance panel. That’s a new project that see land-use experts and planners apply their knowledge and suggest .
The district then will apply that advice as it writes its criteria and conditions for selling the land.
“We’re just not going to accept anything,” Maple Ridge Mayor Ernie Daykin said Thursday.
Daykin said land assembly is one of the largest impediment for developers.
“So when this site came on the market we acted.”
With the Great Canadian Gaming Corp. building a new gaming centre and the new Thrifty Foods store opening soon, the “property has the potential to be a marquee project to complement the work of our development community,” Daykin said.
The assistance panel brings experts in the fields of real estate, planning and development to provide unbiased and pragmatic advice to cities that are looking at specific land use and real estate challenges.
The Urban Land Institute British Columbia is a non-profit research and education organization connected to nearly 30,000 members worldwide representing the entire spectrum of land use and development professionals.
The District-owned property has the potential to be a marquee project to compliment the work of our development community. The opportunity to get input from the ULI BC’s expert panel is a tremendous benefit for the citizens of Maple Ridge.”
