POWELL RIVER, B.C- A sale of land has been announced in Powell River.
The press release that follows below has been issued by Powell River’s municipal government.
The Powell River Waterfront Development Corporation (PRWDC) pleased to announce that it has accepted an offer by Sino Bright Investments Ltd. to purchase land adjacent to Brooks Secondary School for the development of an International School Campus.
The property will be subdivided out of the remaining 80 acres of Lot 2 DL 450 (the former golf course lands in the Townsite) for the sum of $300,000, with a planned completion date of August 1, 2019. The sale is subject to the successful subdivision and rezoning of the property, which will be done at the buyer’s expense.
Wayne Brewer, president of PRWDC, the City’s corporation to administer the former Catalyst Paper Corporation lands, said the purchase agreement is a good news story for Powell River. “It was so important that we not lose Sino Bright and let them slip away to another community,” Brewer said.
“This is really important for Brooks Secondary School because it enhances opportunities for all students. Our graduating numbers have been dwindling over the past few years and having students from elsewhere coming in really helps keep our school viable.
“We also keep stressing that we need to reduce our reliance on the mill and we need to diversify the economy. Part of the mandate of the PRWDC is to make that happen with all of those lands we’ve been tasked with selling.”
Brewer said a few months ago the PRWDC became the owner of the old golf course lands in the Townsite and that provided the opportunity for the property sale to Sino Bright. The international high school had previously been looking at locating its school on another parcel of property adjacent to Brooks Secondary School, but the provincial Agricultural Land Commission turned down an application to exclude the property from the Agricultural Land Reserve.
The subject property that Sino Bright wants to purchase will be a rectangular shaped parcel below Marine Avenue opposite Brooks Secondary School, directly adjacent to Marine Avenue and extending from Laurel Street part way towards the haul road.
Sino Bright President Quan Ouyang said the agreement to purchase the Townsite property demonstrates that his organization has remained committed to Powell River. “We are pleased to have a deal in place and look forward to working toward developing the new school campus,” he said.
The remaining approximately 70-acre parcel of the old golf course land owned by PRWDC, which is currently zoned “industrial use” and designated under the City’s Sustainable Official Community Plan as “employment centre” under land use, are available for sale, as is Block 56, the 100 acres above the highway in Wildwood adjacent to the sewage lagoon.
