The mayor of Devon, Alta., says a proposal to build a $18.3 million recreation facility, and later commercial development, on a chunk of land west of Southport Common is something “council believes is crucial for the future of our community.”
Now, the town is asking residents to weigh in on the idea.
The Town of Devon has launched a survey to gather feedback on the proposed development after engaging in what it calls a “lengthy period of education and public consultation.”
“This proposed development would include the construction of a recreation facility which would act as a catalyst for commercial development in the surrounding area including a future hotel and other retail outlets,” the town said in a news release issued on Monday.
The proposal is to build on the land west of Southport Common and the Devon General Hospital, across Highway 60 near the Devon Alliance Church.
“This is an amazing opportunity for us to pursue commercial growth opportunities,” Mayor Ray Ralph said in a news release.
“This growth will help us increase our non-residential assessment base, bring employment opportunities, improve service to our residents and bring new investment to Devon.”
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The town’s website offers further details about the project and says council has been “hard at work exploring options to stimulate Devon’s growth and economic development” in the face of low growth over the past six years.
The town says the area for which the development is being proposed is a 32-acre parcel of land that the town jointly purchased with Alberta Transportation last year.
The town said would be requesting additional $28.9 million borrowing capacity from Municipal Affairs. Devon expects the cost of building the rec centre to be $18.39 million, land development to cost $3.78 million, and off-site services an additional $6.68 million.
“We’ve had a lot of residents say, ‘We’re not growing. How come the town of Devon is not growing?'” Ralph told Global News.
“You look at Stony Plain, Spruce Grove, Leduc, Beaumont — everybody around us is growing and we sort of stayed stagnant.”
Ralph said he believes it’s mainly because developers have “not been prepared to develop the lands.”
“Down the road, eventually what will happen is if we don’t see some increased tax base from… commercial and industrial… the residents will end up having to pay more and more taxes just to maintain the services that we offer them today.”
Ralph said the town council believes it would benefit the community’s economy to build the rec centre and then develop the infrastructure needed to service future developments.
The town proposes to sell off parcels of land to developers once the infrastructure is in place.
“By building a rec centre, that would also give us the opportunity to draw a brand-name hotel, which is another thing that the town of Devon needs,” he said. “In the past, we could hold tournaments and all these different activities but unfortunately, there was no place for people to really stay.So it wasn’t cost-effective or a benefit for the town of Devon to get into some of these big hockey tournaments.”
Ralph said he believes the Devon-based NAX Hockey School is prepared to make a financial contribution for the rec centre.
“They need more ice time and more ice space,” he said. “So if we decide to move ahead with this complex, this will allow us to give them the ice time and the ice space that they need as well as our local hockey, because our local hockey people are leaving town on a regular basis to play elsewhere.”
However, Ralph said some residents aren’t yet convinced they need the extra rink because the town already has one.
“We’re looking at the rec complex as more of a business opportunity versus a community centre… that’s where some of the negative [feedback]… has come from.”
He added that the town is proposing that the rec centre include a running track, a rock wall and commercial space.
In order for residents to take part in the online survey, the town says it has mailed and emailed out unique PIN codes “to all residences and businesses in their October utility bill that comes out in mid-November.”
“Those receiving their bill by email will receive a separate email with their PIN code the week of Nov. 11,” the town says. “To ensure the survey is filled out fairly, one PIN code will be available for each address.
“Instructions for completing the survey are included on the mailout, including what to do if you do not have internet access.”
The town says the survey will remain open until Nov. 30. The results will go to council at its Dec. 10 meeting.
Devon is located a short drive southwest of Edmonton. According to Statistics Canada’s 2016 Census, it has a population of 6,578 people.
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