Council Decisions: Additional Information

Update February 2023

In November 2022, the Town filed a Notice of Intent to expropriate 30 South Railway Street, as directed by Council. While this process was underway, the Town continued to negotiate, in good faith and fairly, with the owner of this land.

Fortunately, the Town and the landowner were able to enter into an agreement to purchase the land at 30 South Railway Street. This agreement is significant for the Town and the community as it will allow for important work today, and into the future. The reasons for acquiring this land are outlined below.

The Town has now withdrawn from the expropriation process.

We are grateful for the willingness of the landowner to continue respectful and collaborative negotiations with the Town.

Update November 2022

On November 14, 2022 Council passed a resolution directing Administration to proceed with filing a Notice of Intent to expropriate 30 South Railway Street and to advertise this intention in the Western Wheel.

The Town took previous feedback and suggestions from the expropriation officer into consideration and conducted further studies related to this land. As a result, it was determined that the core principles surrounding acquisition of this land had not changed.

Acquisition of this land is important for the Town as it will allow for:

1. Area redevelopment and revitalization:

The Town of Okotoks intends to redevelop the area to create a place for people that includes public places, improved access to the Sheep River, and enhances economic development opportunities as contemplated by the policy and design objectives of the Town of Okotoks including those set out in the MDP Bylaw 02-21, the Downtown Urban Design Master Plan (2018), and the regulatory requirements of the Land Use Bylaw 17-21.

2. Flood mitigation:

The Town of Okotoks intends to mitigate risks to people and property in its downtown area by raising the entire site above the 1:200 year flood level.

3. Relocation of South Railway Street:

The Town of Okotoks intends to relocate South Railway Street into the lands along the CPR tracks and redesign the road network from Northridge to Lineham to accommodate multiple modes of travel, enhance parking and improve pedestrian and vehicle safety.

4. Utility upgrades:

The Town intends to upgrade utilities to address utility servicing challenges in the area required to support development and the growth of the community as well as to better protect the Sheep River.

Acquisition of this land and the core principles for doing so are in line with and support Council’s 2022 – 2025 Strategic Plan. Specifically,

Strong Local Economy:

• Enhancing the diversification of the tax base
• Develop downtown to attract new business

Some of the studies conducted throughout this process provide potential land use options and concepts once remediation, flood protection, road alignment and utility work are complete.

Further, Council’s 2022 – 2025 Strategic Plan identifies their commitment to:

• Enhance community dialogue and engagement with residents and organizations

As such, the Downtown Area Redevelopment Plan has been identified as a priority project in the Town’s Annual Public Participation Plan for 2023. Through Public Participation, residents will have an opportunity to help shape the future of this land once the critical work is complete.

Update September 2022

On September 26, 2022 Council passed a resolution to withdraw from the current expropriation process of 30 South Railway Street. One of the outcomes from the expropriation hearings was a report from the expropriation officer. This report highlighted some additional opportunities that the Town might consider before proceeding with the expropriation process. As such, Council directed administration explore the additional opportunities identified by the expropriation officer.

The Town remains committed to:

• Safeguarding the community through additional and flood mitigation and protection work,
• Protecting the future of the community by remediating existing contamination at the site,
• Enhancing the downtown experience through South Railway Street realignment,
• Upgrading and installation of infrastructure and utility services,
• Allowing for future investment in the downtown as an economic driver of the community.

Background

On May 16, 2022, in a Special Council Meeting, members of Council voted in favour of proceeding with the acquisition of land located at 30 South Railway Street (Plan 841 0463 Lot A), see image below.

This land has been offered for sale by the landowner for several years. Throughout this past year, the Town has been in purchase negotiations with the landowner. Despite negotiations being well-intentioned by both parties, a purchase agreement could not be settled. This left Council with the decision to either forego the land acquisition or to move forward with an expropriation process.

The Government of Alberta Expropriation Act sets out the process by which expropriation occurs. Learn more about the expropriation process by clicking the button below.

Expropriation Process

As this particular piece of land is important to the Town and the community, Council voted in favour of pursuing land expropriation. The expropriation process began in May. Acquiring this land is important to the Town and the community for several key reasons:

• Safeguarding the community through additional flood mitigation and protection work,
• Protecting the future of the community by remediating existing contamination at the site,
• Enhancing the downtown experience through South Railway Street realignment,
• Upgrading and installation of infrastructure and utility services,
• Allow for future investment in the downtown as an economic driver of the community.

The Town remains committed to working through the process as set out by the Province and is hopeful that a fair outcome can be achieved so that this important work can be done.

Before engaging in purchase negotiations, the Town needed to consider possible future uses for this land once the contamination cleanup, flood mitigation, street realignment, infrastructure and utility work is complete. Although no decisions or commitments have been made, the Town considered various options for this land use from economic, social, and environmental perspectives.

As work continues towards acquiring this land, and as decisions are made, updates will be made to this page.

You are always welcome and encouraged to connect with any member of Council or Town Administration (see contact info below).

On April 11, 2022, Town Council voted in favour of approving a rent reduction request that was brought forward by Natural High Fitness. Natural High Fitness has been providing health and fitness services to the community of Okotoks at the Recreation Centre for over 15 years. Like many businesses, Natural High Fitness was negatively impacted by Provincially mandated closures. Several businesses have successfully negotiated with their landlords, rent reductions to help with the sustainability of their business.

In this case, the Town of Okotoks is the landlord for Natural High Fitness. Through our commitment to transparency, and as a government body requirement, when approving rent reductions to below current market values, we advertise the Town’s intent to approve their request. You may have seen the advertisement recently in the Western Wheel.

We know that some people have questions about this decision. In this video, Town CAO Vincent provides clarity surrounding some of the considerations Council faced in making the decision to support the request from Natural High Fitness.

Here you will find the Council meeting video and associated reports surrounding Council’s decision making process.

Additionally, you are always welcome to reach out to any member of Council or Town Administration.