City's Green Line property shopping list is long

Councillorsare discussing a long list of southeast properties the city needs for the Green Line.

Several dozen properties are on the list for acquisition. Although the addresses are public, the debateabout those properties will not be held during the public portionof Thursday's land and asset strategy committee.

The committee's chair, Coun.Gian-Carlo Carra, said just because a property is listed doesn't mean the city needs to buy it in its entirety.

"We're going to have to acquire propertiesto make this a reality and that's what the land and asset strategy committee will be reviewing," said Carra.

The city has been setting aside right-of-way or acquiring properties along the southeast alignment since the 1980s.

"We're going to need bits and pieces here and there of existing properties (and) a couple of whole properties," Carra said.

Several properties needed for Ogden Station

For example, several houses will need to be bought to make way for the Ogden Station.

Another member of the committee, Coun.Shane Keating, says if council approves acquiring a property, the rest can be up to administration.

"Up to a certain level, Corporate Properties can acquire it on their own approval. The next level, they would require senior administrators' approval and then it goes up higher where you actually need council approval, depending on the dollar value of each property," said Keating.

One of the properties the city needs to buyis owned by Neil Richardson.

His company has been renovating the historic C.C. Snowdonbuildingin Ramsay. The Green Line will run on an elevated guidewayjust east of the building.

He's not surprised his land is on the list. Richardson hasbeen told the city wants to buy a piece of his property for asupport structure for the elevated line.

"They need a little bit of our south land plussome access rights and some air rights to the corner but they apparentlymiss our building but not by much," said Richardson.

Taxpayers might be pleased the city will be buying landwhen the real estate market is at a low point. But that's a concern for Richardson, especially when it comes to negotiating with government.

"When you're negotiating with a government entity that ultimately hasthepower toforce you to sell, it really becomes a little more challenging and a little more... youroptions are less because you may not have the option to hold the propertyfor three orfour orfive years and wait for the market to be better," said Richardson.

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• See a map of the properties discussed