Town Updates Sale and Other Disposition of Land Policy

As part of the Town’s ongoing efforts to improve transparency and accountability, the Town is moving to change its Sale and Disposition of Land Policy.  The policy changes will allow the Town to respond more efficiently to opportunities to build affordable and attainable housing. It will also harmonize the policy with the current provincial Municipal Act. 

On Monday March 27, 2023, the Committee of the Whole approved bringing the changes to Council on April 11^th,. 2023.  The new policy includes: 

• the process of appraisal and valuation of municipal land, as well as the method of sale, and how the Town gives the public notice of these procedures, 
• clear requirements for the disposition of land, the terms of those requirements, as well as limited exemptions, 
• addressing specific changes to accommodate employment and industrial lands, including the future Innovation Park.

"This new policy will help us to do positive things like build affordable housing and attract new employers to Saugeen Shores,” said Mayor Luke Charbonneau. “In short, it will help the Town ensure that publicly owned lands are used to meet the needs of the community now and for the long-term." 

This policy update is part of a larger suite of projects aimed at improving the community’s housing inventory, including community-driven Residential Intensification Guidelines and a Community Planning Permit System.  The policy change is identified as one of the Clerk's division highlights (Corporate Services) in the 2023 Business Plan.

The Innovation Park – located on Concession 6, south of Port Elgin -- will feature 17 lots that the Town is marketing to clean energy firms, think tanks and research companies as a central hub where the firms can collaborate. 

Read the policy from Monday's Committee of the Whole agenda.