Sarnia weighs making Centennial Park parcel public

Now, Bradley said, the humane society is back looking at Centennial Park again. But under city policy, declaring land surplus means opening it up to other bidders too, Bradley said. “We’re making this a public process,” he said. “We’re not going to just say exclusively the humane society.” A city report notes there have been various development inquiries about Centennial Park lands over the years. If council opts to declare the land surplus, the report says, there would be a 21-day public notice, a public

meeting in July for input, and a period to accept expressions of interest if council opts to move ahead. “The public process is there and the public will have their right to speak,” Bradley said. An easement would likely also be needed for underground infrastructure servicing, the city report says, noting proceeds from a land sale would be reserved for capital projects. Sarnia’s official plan calls for prioritizing affordable housing for surplus city-owned land, the report says. The current waterfront (W1) zoning, meanwhile, doesn’t include

residential, but allows for about 40 other uses, including community centres, restaurants, boat repair, hotels, and animal shelters.

Sarnia, Centennial Park, surplus land, humane society, public process, city report, affordable housing, waterfront W1 zoning, underground infrastructure easement, expressions of interest