Housing developments in the west end of Grand Forks that have been mired in financial and legal turmoil have resumed construction after months of delays.
After six months of delays, the city reached an agreement with partners to see the project that will see homes built or relocated to 72nd Street, McCallum View Drive and Donaldson Drive finished, Mayor Everett Baker said in a statement to The Gazette. In addition, the city has already moved ahead with a sale of the site on Donaldson Drive.
“Over the last six months the City has received a number of questions and comments regarding our partnership project with the Osoyoos Indian Band (OIB); in particular, what is happening with the houses that were moved from North Ruckle to Donaldson, McCallum View and to 72nd Avenue,” he stated.
Through this agreement, the city and its partners are working together to utilize sale proceeds to make sure outstanding liens are addressed and local contractors are paid for work they complete, which is currently underway with a number of contractors receiving payment.
They are also making sure onsite work begins again and there are clear timelines and deliverables for the project, the statement read.
The agreement also ensures the city is “financially compensated at fair market value for lands and all other project contributions and this removes any future financial, legal and contractual risk for the city and OIB moving forward,” the statement read.
Mayor Baker explained in the statement what residents can expect to see in the coming weeks. For McCallum View, two houses were relocated from North Ruckle. These homes are incomplete, with their interiors stripped down to studs and landscaping needs to be finished, including a retaining wall. As part of the partnership, those homes will be listed and sold through Grand Forks Realty.
“The listings for these properties will reflect the remaining work to be completed and they will be priced accordingly,” he said.
There have been questions over why it took so long to list these properties, he stated. In short, the City didn’t want to list these homes for sale until contractual obligations, legalities and liens could be addressed.
With the recent work between partners, those are being addressed.
Work stopped on the project this past February after OIB and their partner contractor ran into financial issues, as reported in previous articles. The city was providing the land as part of a development partnership.
This is a developing story.
Any inquiries about this ongoing project can be forwarded to info@grandforks.ca