By Mark Squibb
Mount Pearl city council last week approved the purchase of a small parcel of land along a busy stretch of Topsail Road.
Councillor Mark Rice explained council had previously reviewed the matter in a private meeting of the committee of the whole and agreed to authorize staff to buy 827 Topsail Road for $100,000. The committee also supported, in relation to the environmental testing and minor remediation required, the demolition of the building on the property at a cost of approximately $40,000.
Rice moved that council both approve the purchase of the land and award the demolition contract to Eastern Demolition.
The motion was approved unanimously.
The purpose for the purchase was not discussed in council chambers. Following an inquiry by The Pearl, staff explained the purchase of the land will play a role in the Find Your Centre Renewal Plan, although the City has not yet determined exactly what it will do with the land.
The land is zoned Commercial Mixed and backs onto the Waterford River Conservation zone. It marks the beginning of the Mary Queen of the World Elementary school zone heading east.
The Find Your Centre Plan was launched in 2020 with the goal of rejuvenating the City’s geographical core over the next 20 to 40 years.
