A prime piece of commercial land along Taylor Drive will continue to be used for the storage of oilfield trucks and supplies — at least for now.
Red Deer’s municipal planning commission agreed on Wednesday to extend a development permit allowing Schlumberger Canada to operate at 6791 65th Ave. The land is owned by L-7 Inc. and leased to Schlumberger.
In October 2004, zoning for the land had only recently changed to commercial from industrial when the commission authorized Schlumberger to use of the site for storage for a five-year period. That permit was extended to Oct. 8, 2011 in 2009.
On Wednesday, the commission was told that in 2009 Schlumberger was expected to soon relocate to an alternate site, at which time the property would be developed for commercial use. But the company’s plans have been postponed, due to the economic downturn.
The commission voted to extend Schlumberger’s development permit until Oct. 8, 2012. However, it agreed to include a note confirming that a further extension would not be granted.