5.             SALE OF LAND - 424 METCALFE STREET

 

Vente de terraine – 424, RUE METCALFE

 

 

 

Committee RecommendationS

 

That Council:

 

1.      Declare a parcel of vacant land situated at 424 Metcalfe Street, described as Parts 1 and 4 on reference plan 4R-19596, as surplus to the City’s needs; and

 

2.      Waive City policy pertaining to the sale of property at market value and approve the sale of the land, estimated to have a market value of $5,350,000.00, to Centretown Citizens Ottawa Corporation, for the sum of $1.00, subject to any easements that may be required, and subject to suitable terms and conditions being agreed upon by the City's Real Estate Services Division, Housing Branch and the purchaser, including the option in favour of the City to reacquire the property for One Dollar ($1.00) in the event of a sale.

 

 

 

RecommandationS du comité

 

Que le Conseil municipal :

 

1.      déclare excédentaire aux besoins de la Ville un terrain vacant situé au 424, rue Metcalfe, décrit comme Parties 1 et 4 sur le plan de renvoi 4R-19596; et

 

2.      renonce à la politique de la Ville en matière de vente de biens-fonds au prix du marché et d’approuver la vente du terrain évalué au prix du marché à  5 350 000 $ à la Centretown Citizens Ottawa Corporation pour la somme de 1 $ sous réserve des servitudes qui pourraient être requises et sous réserve de conditions appropriées qui auront été acceptées par la Division des biens immobiliers, Direction du logement, et l’acheteur y compris l’option en faveur de la Ville de racheter le bien-fonds pour un dollar (1 $) dans l’éventualité d’une vente.

 

 

 

Documentation

 

1.   Executive Director, Business Transformation Services’ report dated 4 September 2008 (ACS2008-BTS-RPM-0037).

 


Report to/Rapport au :

 

Corporate Services and Economic Development Committee

Comité des services organisationnels et du développement économique

 

and Council / et au Conseil

 

04 September 2008/le 04 septembre 2008

 

Submitted by / Soumis par : Stephen A. Finnamore, Executive Director, Business Transformation Services / Directeur exécutif, Services de transformation des activités

 

Contact Person / Personne ressource : Gordon MacNair, Manager

Real Property Asset Management / Gestion des actifs des biens immobiliers

(613) 580-2424 x21217, Gordon.MacNair@ottawa.ca

 

Somerset (14)

Ref N°: ACS2008-BTS-RPM-0037

 

 

SUBJECT:

SALE OF LAND - 424 METCALFE STREET

 

 

OBJET :

Vente de terraine – 424, RUE METCALFE

 

 

REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS

 

That the Corporate Services and Economic Development Committee recommend Council:

 

1.                  Declare a parcel of vacant land situated at 424 Metcalfe Street, described as Parts 1 and 4 on reference plan 4R-19596, as surplus to the City’s needs; and

 

2.                  Waive City policy pertaining to the sale of property at market value and approve the sale of the land, estimated to have a market value of $5,350,000.00, to Centretown Citizens Ottawa Corporation, for the sum of $1.00, subject to any easements that may be required, and subject to suitable terms and conditions being agreed upon by the City's Real Estate Services Division, Housing Branch and the purchaser, including the option in favour of the City to reacquire the property for One Dollar ($1.00) in the event of a sale.

 

 

RECOMMANDATIONS DU RAPPORT

 

Que le Comité des services organisationnels et du développement économique recommande au Conseil municipal :

 

1.                  de déclarer excédentaire aux besoins de la Ville un terrain vacant situé au 424, rue Metcalfe, décrit comme Parties 1 et 4 sur le plan de renvoi 4R-19596; et

 

2.                  de renoncer à la politique de la Ville en matière de vente de biens-fonds au prix du marché et d’approuver la vente du terrain évalué au prix du marché à  5 350 000 $ à la Centretown Citizens Ottawa Corporation pour la somme de 1 $ sous réserve des servitudes qui pourraient être requises et sous réserve de conditions appropriées qui auront été acceptées par la Division des biens immobiliers, Direction du logement, et l’acheteur y compris l’option en faveur de la Ville de racheter le bien-fonds pour un dollar (1 $) dans l’éventualité d’une vente.

 

 

BACKGROUND

 

The subject property, which is municipally identified as 424 Metcalfe Street and commonly referred to as the Beaver Barracks site, is a 6,825 m2 property situated in the northwest corner of the intersection of Metcalfe Street and Catherine Street as shown on the attached Annex “A” sketch. 

 

City capital funding for the Beaver Barracks project was committed by Council in 2004 and confirmed in 2006.  Staff issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Beaver Barracks site in February 2007 and presented a report (ACS2007-CPS-HOU-0010) to Community and Protective Services Committee in June 2007, which was approved by Council on 11 July 2007.  The report committed Affordable Housing Program funds to the project, City grants and fee exemptions, and the provision of the land, and outlined the terms of the Municipal Housing Capital Facilities Agreement with the successful proponent Centretown Citizens Ottawa Corporation (CCOC).

 

CCOC is currently planning 247 units of affordable housing on the subject site in two phases. In Phase I, two apartment buildings and two rows of stacked townhouses around an organic community garden will be constructed.  The largest apartment building situated on the corner of Metcalfe and Catherine Street will contain a new paramedic post on the ground floor to replace the existing post that is currently located on the site.  In Phase II, CCOC will build a 7 storey residential building in the location of the existing paramedic post  facing Catherine Street.

 

The 2007 Action Ottawa report recommended by Community and Protective Services Committee and approved by Council (ACS2007-CPS-HOU-0010) directed that staff negotiate the sale of 424 Metcalfe Street, subject to the provisions of the negotiated Municipal Housing Project Facilities Agreement (MHPFA) and in accordance with the Municipal Housing Project Facilities By-law (2005) and the provisions of that report.

 

 

DISCUSSION

 

A recent appraisal estimates the value of the subject property, based on current zoning, to be $5,350,000.00.  It is also recognized that a potential rezoning could create additional value.  Although the City’s Surplus Real Property Disposal By-law (2002-38) requires all property disposals to be on the basis of market value, it also provides means to address the need for affordable housing, by recognizing housing as a City mandated program and permitting the Housing Branch to hold City-owned properties for affordable housing purposes.  The Housing Branch can then make suitable properties available to the community, at below market or nominal cost, subject to Council approval, through a Request for Proposal (RFP) and consultation processes. 

 

As indicated previously, CCOC was the successful RFP proponent.  Based on that proposal, and based on Council approval of the recommendations in the 2007 CPSC report, the parties entered into an agreement of purchase and sale that will involve the transfer of the subject property to CCOC for $1.00, subject to the City reserving the right to purchase the land back for $1.00 in the event that CCOC decides to terminate the use of this land for the agreed purpose or decides to sell the property. 

 

On July 11, 2007, Council approved Recommendation 7 of the CPSC report 10 (ACS2007-CPS-HOU-0010), Item 5  (the "2007 CPSC Report") as follows:

7. Staff be directed to negotiate the sale of the property located at 424 Metcalfe, subject to the provision of the right to first refusal to recover the property in the event of sale, and subject to the provisions of the negotiated Municipal Housing Project Facilities agreement and in accordance with the Municipal Housing Project Facilities By-law (2005) and provisions of this report.

 

Upon review of the 2007 CPSC report and the recommendations that were approved by Council on July 11, 2007, RPAM and Legal recommended to Housing that a further report should be brought to CSEDC so as to ensure that the requirements of the City's "Policy for the Disposal of Real Property" (the "Policy") are addressed.

 

 

CONSULTATION

 

In accordance with policies approved by City Council on 14 November 2001, the availability of the property was circulated to all client City Departments, including the Housing Branch, to determine if it should be retained for a City mandated program.  The Housing Branch expressed interest in the property for future affordable housing programs.  The Action Ottawa program was developed in 2002, but adequate funding to support the development of the site was not available until the introduction of the Canada/Ontario Affordable Housing Program in 2005. Staff undertook a number of studies to identify any development issues with the site, including soils, traffic, and build-out potential.  The site was rezoned on 6 October 2003, including the requirement that a community garden of at least 600 metres square be provided in any future development. 

 

The Ward Councillor has been made aware of staff’s recommendations.

 

 

HOUSING FIRST POLICY

 

The Official Plan policy directs that the City make land available for affordable housing and give priority for the sale or lease of surplus City-owned property for this purpose. 

 

The Housing First Policy, approved by Council on 13 July 2005, establishes priority consideration to the Housing Branch, in the identification of potentially surplus City-owned property, to be used in achieving the City’s affordable housing program targets.  The policy also requires that the Official Plan target of 25% affordable housing, be met on any City-owned property sold for residential development.  Where viable, residential properties are disposed of without a condition requiring an affordable housing component, 25% of the proceeds from the sale are to be credited to a housing fund, to be used for the development of affordable housing elsewhere in the City.

 

In this case, the subject property will be developed with affordable housing, so no portion of the sale proceeds will be directed to a housing fund.

 

 

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS

 

Disposal of this property has no implications for the natural environment.

 

 

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

 

The sale of this property will result in revenue to the City in the amount of $1.00.  This revenue will be credited to Sale of Surplus Lands Account.

 

 

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION

 

Annex “A” sketch to illustrate the subject property.

 

 

DISPOSITION

 

Legal Services Branch will bring project specific Municipal Housing Facility by-laws before Council for approval.

 

Housing Branch and Legal Services Branch will execute the Municipal Housing Project Facilities Agreements (MHFA) for the project.

 

Real Estate Services and Legal Services Branches will finalize the Agreement of Purchase and Sale.