The city of Williams Lake is the first to announce plans to bid on the former Poplar Glade school site, a week after School District 27 put out a request for proposals for the six-acre lot on Eleventh Avenue.
In a new release issued Wednesday, April 20, the city said its bid will focus on the critical shortage of housing in Williams Lake.
“We are keenly aware of the dire need for housing in Williams Lake,” Mayor Walt Cobb said. “The situation impacts the entire community, and the Poplar Glade property presents an extremely valuable opportunity to increase quality housing to support our existing population and prepare for growth. We believe the best way to ensure timely development at this site is for the city to acquire the property.”
A study done last year for the city and the Cariboo Regional District indicated within a decade the region will need 800 new housing units.
Since 2019, the city has being indicating its interest in the property, which had housed the elementary school until it was destroyed by a fire on April 26, 2007.
Recently the SD27 received permission to sell the property from the provincial government.
It its request for offers, the district has set a baseline minimum price of $975,000 and is requiring all prospective buyers to outline future plans and if planning to develop it, share a note of the proposed development.
Offers will be accepted until May, 13 2022.
READ MORE: SD27 invites request for offers of Poplar Glade property in Williams Lake
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