-Town no longer interested in buying property-

OSOYOOS TIMES-November 5, 2008-

By Paul EverestrnOsoyoos Times

An agreement that would have put the Elks property at the corner of Hwy. 97 and 62nd Avenue in Osoyoos into the hands of developers based in the Lower Mainland has collapsed.
Leroy Olson, secretary and past district deputy for the Osoyoos Elks Lodge No. 436, told the Osoyoos Times on Oct. 31 that a deal with a group of developers headed by Seniorhome President Pat Frewer fell through in September.
The developers pulled out of the deal, Olson said, because they did not have the money to go forward with the project and a bunch of other stuff that I shouldn't go into.rnBut Frewer said the deal collapsed because the provincial Transportation and Infrastructure Ministry denied a request to have access from Hwy. 97 to a proposed development on the property and the Elks decided to walk away from the sale.
Having no highway access, he added, meant the developers would not be able to subdivide the property.
Frewer said he was surprised the Elks have said the agreement was dropped because of money issues.
That's really amazing that they would have said that, he said. It's nothing to do with funding.rnThe 1.5-hectare property has now been put back on the market for an asking price of $1,399,000.
We're still hoping someone will buy it and use it for low-cost housing, Olson said.
He added that the Elks are disappointed the deal fell through.
The Elks had voted in early 2006 to sell the property because upkeep, taxes and utilities were costing too much.
Olson said the organization is slowly going in the red because it costs $130 a day to keep the hall operating.
He added, however, that he has been able to knock those costs down to $80 a day by turning off the building's furnace and lights when it is not in use.
Seniorhome and two other companies entered into an agreement to buy the property from the Elks in November, 2006, and had planned a three-part development for the site including 28-townhomes, a new, smaller hall for the Elks and a proposed four-storey assisted-living facility for seniors.
Difficulties arose, however, between the developers and the Town of Osoyoos's Planning Department over zoning for the site because of its inclusion in the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR).
The provincial Transportation and Infrastructure Ministry also made it clear it wanted primary access to the property from a bypass road off of Meadowlark Drive as opposed to road access from Hwy. 97.
Frewer said, however, that land needed to create a bypass road was not available because adjacent properties are part of the ALR.
The developers had also entered into an agreement last year to purchase the nearby 6.8-hectare Bhandol property on Hwy. 97 for the purposes of building affordable and assisted-living residences.
Frewer said there is still a live contract between us and the owner of (the Bhandol) property and he is looking forward to creating an affordable housing project on that site.
Olson said the Elks had approached Osoyoos town council about purchasing the property since there had been informal discussions regarding the purchase of the Elks property with the Town prior to the agreement with the developers.
But council refused, Olson said.
They were interested but they're no longer interested.rnOsoyoos Mayor John Slater said council had looked into buying the property in 2006 but the Elks decided to go with the developers instead.
When another offer is accepted, it's kind of difficult for us to jump in in between before an offer is made, Slater said.
He added that council declined a request to reconsider buying the property after the developers backed out because it was felt it would look bad, Slater said.
The Town is responsible for the zoning process, he said. If we bought it and then had to make a decision about zoning, it could come across as biased.rnSlater did say, however, that the Elks should approach the new council after the Nov. 15 election.
I think it would be prudent of the new council to look at this property, he said.
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