The Weyburn District Regional Planning Commission announced on Thursday that the City and RM of Weyburn have entered into a joint agreement with a land owner that will add to the development of residential and commercial land in the area.
The Weyburn District Regional Planning Commission announced on Thursday that the City and RM of Weyburn have entered into a joint agreement with a land owner that will add to the development of residential and commercial land in the area.
The land in question is parcel NE 22-8-14. This piece of land is a quarter section located east of the existing city limits on the south side of Highway 13.
Weyburn Mayor Debra Button sees the situations as "two big wins for the City of Weyburn."
"With the possibility of adding more residential and commercial properties to the city, this can be nothing but good," the mayor said.
The plans for new development come one week after the 2011 census was released. Census data showed that both the RM and City experienced large amounts of growth between 2006 and 2011. According to census data, the City of Weyburn grew by 11 per cent in the last census period, while the RM of Weyburn had 18 per cent growth.
This growth has put a massive amount of tension on the housing market in Weyburn. Mayor Button said that the current vacancy rate is "somewhere around zero", so the city is "glad to have any new areas for development."
Even though the RM will be losing a quarter section of land, Reeve Sterling believes that the new development will benefit both the City and RM.
"They will have more people living on a quarter section of land than we will. So, for that reason alone we thought that this land would be better for the city," Reeve Sterling said.
However, there will be some losses for the RM. Aside from land, the municipality will also experience a tax loss. Reeve Sterling did not seem very worried about the loss to her jurisdiction.
"The developer has agreed to give us a compensation of 22 times the current tax rate for what we will lose. For that reason we are not overly worried about the potential tax deficit," said Reeve Sterling.
Mayor Button is also looking forward to the potential commercial development that will come onto the lots. The Mayor noted that she wants "everyone to know that Weyburn is open for business, and by Weyburn I don't just mean the City or RM of Weyburn. I am referring to the entire community."
The new land east of the city limits is only the beginning of residential development around Weyburn. Development by the Nicor group from Regina in the Souris Valley grounds should add 600 new houses to the city, according to Mayor Button. The mayor also noted that there are still 28 lots available, and several hundred others in the planning stages.
The mayor also said that the city is looking at possible annexation of more lots in the future as Weyburn grows.
This development is coming to Weyburn even though the cost of a lot around the city can be higher than in other centres in the province. However, Mayor Button said that the high cost of lots has made the city "a more enticing place for competitors." High prices may be considered enticing to buyers because they believe that they can resell the property for a higher price, and make a better profit.
In the end, the Mayor believes that "anything to grow the community, and grow it well, is a good thing." She also said that the Planning Commission is "looking out for what is best for citizens" and that they "settled for what was best in the big picture."
Aside from building houses, the Planning Commission is viewed as a great opportunity for the RM and City to work together. The new subdivision will be the first time the two municipalities have worked so closely together and may form the basis for many new partnerships in the future, according to the Planning Commission.
"There is a lot of relationship building going on in there," Mayor Button said about the work that the Planning Commission is doing.
The Weyburn District Planning Regional Planning Commission is an inter-municipal body of representatives from the City, RM, Chamber of Commerce, and private landowners. The group's mandate is to perform long-term planning in the region.
