Vacant Osborne Village parking lot eyed for redevelopment
A fenced-off parking lot in the heart of Osborne Village could finally be getting a new lease on life.
The city is in a new round of negotiations to sell the property at Stradbrook and Osborne for redevelopment.
A fence has blocked off it for the last couple of years, creating an eyesore for neighbours like Leanora Miller.
It’s just an empty space that’s wasted,” Miller told CTV News.
The wasted space is also inconvenient for drivers like Marianna Barabash, who tried to pull into the lot to pick up food from a restaurant.
"I was looking for parking, I pulled into here and there's a fence,” Barabash said.
The city acquired the corner in 1965, and it became a 20 space surface parking lot. In 2021, the city's property committee agreed to sell it for $1.6 million to a private business for a redevelopment.
The sale plans stalled however, because after the committee’s approval, soil contamination was discovered on the site that was once home to a service station. The lot remained closed as a result.
Osborne Village Biz Executive Director Zohreh Gervais said while the city is trying to figure things out, it would be nice to have the lot open.
The city was generating around $90,000 a year when it was operational.
"To have a lot that could be used for parking fenced off, yeah, it's been a bit of a sore point for some of the businesses around here,” Gervais said.
However, things may be moving along now as a bid process for soil remediation recently closed, and the city confirms it is negotiating with the same business it agreed to sell to in 2021.
Zohreh Gervais said the prospects of new development here – whether for residential, commercial, or a mix of both, would be a welcome addition to the neighbourhood.
“It's best use is what we're looking for, so whatever it is that's going to bring the most people, the most bang for their buck you know in terms of coming to the area, that's what we're looking for,” Gervais said.
The city said the soil remediation is expected to be done by the end of the year, with construction plans to follow.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.7029792.1725811934!/httpImage/image.png_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.png)
Over 200 firearms seized in Waterloo weapons investigation
According to police, during a traffic stop officers noticed firearms and ammunition inside the vehicle.
Military surplus store in Calgary, destination of celebrity shoppers, closing doors
Cher, Anthony Hopkins, Heath Ledger, Alec Baldwin and Tom Hardy are just a few of the celebrities John Cumming met while growing up in his family's military surplus store.
'It's morally wrong': A rural Alberta town reacts to homeless shelter closure
At the end of a side street in Slave Lake, Alta., Lynn Bowes looks at a grey job-site trailer with boarded-up windows and doors that once operated as her town's only homeless shelter.
'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice' jolts box office with US$110 million opening weekend
After 36 years of waiting, the juice is finally loose again in 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,' this time racking up US$110 million in its premiere weekend.
Bloc Quebecois ready to extract gains for Quebec in exchange for supporting Liberals
The Bloc Québécois says its ready to wheel and deal with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's party for support during confidence votes now that the Liberal government's confidence and supply agreement with the NDP has ended.
The controversial plan to turn a desert green
Ties van der Hoeven's ambitions are nothing if not grand. The Dutch engineer wants to transform a huge stretch of inhospitable desert into green, fertile land teeming with wildlife.
Timeline: The rise and fall of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's political fortunes
In the wake of the NDP withdrawing its automatic support of the minority Liberal government, here is a timeline of key events charting the arc of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's fortunes in federal politics.
Dallas Cowboys Dak Prescott signs four-year, US$240-million contract, becomes highest-paid player in NFL history
The Dallas Cowboys and quarterback Dak Prescott agreed to a record four-year, US$240 million contract extension.
They were due to leave for their dream cruise in May. Three months on they’re still stuck at the departure port
It was the years-long cruise that was supposed to set sail, but saw its departure postponed… postponed… and postponed again.