The City of Guelph got bit of a shock recently when it found out the province is planning to sell its portion of the correctional centre property along York Road.
That sale could be to the highest bidder, which the city could not afford.
For years the city has been trying to work with the province on a plan to develop a portion of that property, which the city calls the Guelph Innovation District.
The province owns 549 of the 1,100 acres that includes the Guelph Correctional Centre and could be putting the entire parcel of land on the market in the next few months.
The city can't afford to buy the entire parcel of land and at Monday night's council meeting instructed staff to continue to try and work with the province on a collaborative effort to develop the property into the work/research/play/live hub it has envisioned for years.
Council was very disappointed to hear the property could be going on the open market soon and that the province might be seeking "market value."
"We've had 15 or 16 points of contact (with the province) on this in the last two years," Mayor Cam Guthrie said at Monday's council meeting.
"It's time now to elevate this and show the province how serious we are," he said.
A staff report said that in the past the city's plans for the property have been "positively but tentatively received."
"That property is costing taxpayers tonnes of money for nothing. It just sits there," Guthrie said.
Developing the property would help everybody, he said.
"It's time to move strong on this," Guthrie said.
The city has tried to reach a new Memorandum of Understanding with the province, to no avail.
"Despite ongoing outreach to various Provincial staff and elected official(s), an implementation MOU with the province has not yet been achieved," the staff report says.
Councillor Cathy Downer, who has been in on some of those discussions and has been on council long enough to know how much time and effort has gone into pursuing it, said it is "very disappointing" the province announced the sale without collaboration with the city.
"We've had 15 delegations to the province and to have no commitment back is very disappointing," Downer said.
The province is currently circulating the availability of the property to other provincial/federal government ministries to see if any of them are interested. If none are, the property would be deemed to be surplus.
Next would be an "Expression of Interest" process, with municipalities and non-profits being given some priority.
But they would be priced out of the market if all 549 acres were sold as one.
Norah Chalenor of the not-for-profit Yorklands Green Hub also appeared at council Monday, saying that her organization is interested in purchasing a portion of the property for green community use and education purposes.
The group is interested in 70 acres to use as a natural/cultural/heritage property that would include restoring of the old gatehouse and closest to York Road and superintendant's house closer to the old jail.
She said Yorklands Green Hub will be embarking on a fundraising campaign to raise $3 million.
Yorklands Green Hub wants to create a self-sustaining education, demonstration, and research hub.
"Now that we know it's going to be sold it would be a tremendous amenity for the city," Chalenor said in asking for the city's support.
The motion passed Monday was to support Option 4, one of several options presented by staff.
Option 4 reads: "In his scenario, it is proposed that the City would submit an expression of interest, detailing a collaboration with the Province to develop and deliver to the market a Request for Proposal process, its contents and evaluation criteria in large part reflecting the goals and objectives of the GID (Guelph Innovation District) Secondary Plan (and other municipal strategies) as well as relevant Provincial objectives."
The GID Secondary Plan details the city's proposed plans for the property. It is currently before the Ontario Municipal Board for approval.
There is minimal cost in proceeding with this at this point, staff said.
