The municipality has completed its third industrial park land sale this month, with two more pending.
An agreement to sell a one-acre parcel in the Harriston Industrial Park to J.W. Bauman Ltd. (Countryside Concrete) for $10,000 was approved by council at the Aug. 27 meeting.
CAO Bill White reported the parcel was sold on the condition it be joined with adjacent lands fronting on John Street purchased by Bauman from Gerald D’Arcy.
White noted the original D’Arcy parcel contains a 5,600 square foot building and the agreement contains a covenant requiring the purchaser build an additional 5,000 square foot building within five years.
White explained the land was sold for lower than usual purchase price because it does not have access to the highway or separate water and sewer services.
“If we were to sell this parcel separate from (the D’Arcy parcel) a roadway and sewer and water would have to be put in through an easement across the main property that they already own. So this is the best use of the property from our perspective that we can see there,” said White.
Deputy mayor Terry Fisk asked if the covenant regarding the additional building was “enforceable.”
“Yes, we believe the covenants are enforceable,” said White, noting the agreements were prepared jointly by lawyers for the purchaser and the municipality. White also said legal precedents regarding such covenants have recently been established indicating they are enforceable.
Earlier in August the town announced land sales in Harriston and Palmerston. At the Aug. 6 meeting, council approved the sale of property just under one acre in the Palmerston Industrial Park for $22,380 to Tim and Michelle Thalen and the sale of a one-acre lot in the Harriston facility to Mississauga-based NRStor Inc.
NRStor plans to build a cutting-edge energy storage facility in Harriston, while the Thalens have not announced specific plans for the Palmerston property.
The sales leave only one available serviced parcel in the Harriston Industrial Park, White noted during the meeting.
Good News pending
Mayor George Bridge told the Advertiser there is additional industrial land available in both Harriston and Palmerston locations, but some of it is “not shovel ready” and would require servicing.
While none of the land sales announced this month are expected to generate significant employment locally, Bridge said two pending sales will provide, “some good News” in that area.
