A prime piece of land in Red Deer adjacent to the Red Deer River has been sold by Chinook’s Edge School Division, pending ministerial approval.
The details of the sale, and how the former River Glen School property might be developed, are not being released before the provincial government approval has been granted.
Kurt Sacher, Chinook’s Edge superintendent, said it’s a significant piece of land between the school site and river. It’s the last piece of Chinook’s Edge completely moving out of Red Deer.
The school board approved the sale at their meeting earlier this month. The River Glen lands are located at 4210 59th St., and the parcel tentatively sold is in the southwest corner bordered on the west by 45th Avenue and on the south by 59th Street.
For decades, the rural school division owned and operated River Glen School. A new school built in Penhold saw River Glen closed permanently a couple of years ago.
The building itself was taken over by the Red Deer Public School District, which has since located Gateway Christian School in it.
The entire parcel of land was subdivided, and some of it was taken over by the city, on the east side toward Gaetz Lake Sanctuary, and some by Parkland Community Living and Supports Society, which operates a nearby special education school.
“We’re optimistic about (the sale) going forward,” Sacher said.
They hope to hear soon from the province but there isn’t a timeline, he said. The funds will go toward the division’s depleted capital reserves, he said.
Development of the land, and any rezoning, will need City of Red Deer and municipal planning commission approval.
An earlier application by Chinook’s Edge to subdivide the property was rejected by the city’s municipal planning commission a few years ago.
The commission was compelled to refuse the application because a former landfill encroached upon the 300-metre setback required by Alberta’s subdivision and development regulations.
However, the province’s municipal government board subsequently reversed that decision on appeal, ruling that the risk associated with the old landfill was negligible.
barr@www.reddeeradvocate.com