| Page 2 REPORT SUMMARY KEY ISSUES: ??A Development Application (DASZ 19/00) has been submitted that includes a large tree stand that is considered by the City and by the community to be environmentally sensitive and worthy of protection from development. The developer has requested that the City identify how much of the 81.4-acre tree stand it wishes to acquire and to agree to the price before the developer proceeds further with its development application. The amount of land recommended for public open space in this case is significantly greater than what can be captured in the normal development application process. A decision is required as to whether or not the City should purchase either some or all of the remaining approximately 40.9 acres of an 81.4 acre �A� quality tree stand (i.e. 33 acres can be purchased under the Council-approved Seine River waterway requirement; also, approximately 7.5 acres can be acquired by dedication at no cost) within this 305 acre proposed residential subdivision. There is significant public pressure to acquire the entire 81.4-acre �Bois des Esprits� tree stand. The Administration has evaluated the relative quality of the tree stand, placing it into three (3) categories, but also suggesting that if possible all of the 80 acres should be acquired for ecological reasons. The entire site was graded �A� quality because of its size and its connectivity to the remainder of the Seine River corridor. The recommendation in this report is based on the idea that the City should consider earmarking sufficient resources to acquire the 24.5 acre part of the tree stand that is deemed to be of the highest quality. ?The Administration and the developer have engaged in long and difficult discussions on this matter. While there is now agreement on the model and data to be used in determining price, there continues to be disagreement on several model input assumptions. As a result, the Administration�s position is that the price to be paid should be based on a rate of $65,000 per acre equating (assuming acquisition only of the 24.5 acres of the highest quality portion of the tree stand) to approximately $1.6M (subject to survey) plus finance and closing costs. The developer�s position is that the price needs to be based on $75,000 per acre subject, however, to further discussion with its joint venture partner, the Province of Manitoba. ??No funding source has been identified for this proposed acquisition; however, the administration has identified a combination of potential sources of funds plus lands in kind for possible exchange with the developer and/or the Province of Manitoba. |