KIRKLAND – For the town of Kirkland, the purchase of a six-hectare property could eventually set the stage for some profitable resale.
The West Island city will pay $9.1 million for the land, which sits on an undeveloped industrial area just off the A-40 and west of Saint-Charles Boulevard.
The property – sized at 11 football fields – was bought by Kirkland from the Shahmoon family; the same people who are partial owners of the Angell Woods in Beaconsfield.
Joe Sanalitro, Kirkland’s town manager, told Global News the price was agreed on with the Shahmoons prior to going to court, but both sides needed a court ruling for the transaction to be legally ratified.
The town is still in court with Yale Properties to expropriate a second parcel of land that measures 7.9 hectares for an area that runs parallel to a couple of streets nearby.
Sanalitro said the plan is to eventually sell off the entire piece of property to potential high-tech firms.
“We’re looking at millions of dollars of revenues,” he said.
“We’re not looking at thousands of dollars.”
Sanalitro said, for decades, the town tried to work with both the Shahmoon family and Yale Properties to find common ground to develop the property, but no consensus could be reached.
That left the town with no option but to expropriate.
Residents who have properties backing onto the undeveloped land have mixed emotions about the expropriation process.
“I would prefer it stay as is,” Marielle Zara said.
“You just have the land in the back. You have space in the back. You don’t have to have any neighbours or properties behind you.”
Another resident said she welcomes a new developer moving in, providing future owners maintain the property.
“We prefer to have a place that is beautiful and well-tended,” Suzie Pelletier said.
There is a plethora of pharmaceutical and other high-tech companies in Kirkland, but there are also a lot of vacant buildings.
Expropriating the new property doesn’t guarantee promoters will be knocking down the city’s doors but it’s a challenge officials hope to face.
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