City to put nine properties up for bid in plan to spur on housing construction

A lot in the 300 block of 9th Avenue West, one of nine that
the city of Prince Rupert has put up for sale in hopes of
increasing the housing stock in the Community
(from City of PR website)

The latest initiative towards adding to the housing stock was put forward late Wednesday afternoon, with Mayor Lee Brain making use of his social media forum to outline some of the elements of a program to put housing lots up for bid, the presentation coming with a caveat that housing must be developed within a two year period.

As the mayor explained it, the release of civic owned land, is part of a larger program that will include more lots and the creation of new subdivisions to follow.

The map of civic properties currently up for bid
(click to enlarge)

The nine lots that have currently been made available are located in neighbourhoods across the city and feature a minimum price ranging from a low of 40,000 to a high of 160,000 dollars.

Also included in the mayor's Social media reveal, is a look back to a recent Request for Proposals to clear muskeg and peat from a variety of City owned properties (something which we made note of in November), the land clearing part of the City's plans for preparation towards easier development, though he does not mention the status of that bid in his update.

Another note from the Facebook stream was the pace of housing development that City Council is currently promoting, with the Mayor noting of 400 units of new housing underway in the community, though again he's somewhat light on the details as to which housing plans he is referencing and the status of the progress on development to date.

Area of interest related to a proposed new 
subdivision on the east side of Prince Rupert
(From City of RFP of 2020)

Not mentioned, but something which might be of interest as well, is the progress towards creating a new subdivision off of Eagle Heights, in an area between Silversides and Crestview. 

That proposal was first introduced back in December of 2020.

Some additional notes on the City's focus on housing and plans for the new subdivision were outlined as part of the work on the City's Housing Strategy from February of 2021.

All  the above are areas, along with the new land rush bidding process of this week, that Mr. Brain may wish to expand on as part of the upcoming Council Session set for Monday February 28th.  

A public forum which will offer an opportunity for the Mayor and his fellow Council members to provide for a wider overview on housing themes if the feel inclined.

Also curious about the mayor's Social media advisory is advice for his followers to keep watch for the local paper for further details, seemingly forgetting to mention the city's own website, where a  fairly helpful prospectus for the property bidding has been assembled.

So rather than wait for the newspaper to land in your mailbox or on your doorstep, those looking to get a head start on the viewing can just make a few clicks on their computer to get things moving forward.

The city's own review provides photos of all the properties that are now available for the public to put a bid on, as well as advice as to how those interest in the properties can explore them further through the city's GO MAP tool.

Towards the bidding process, the city's information package release, which you can review here, outlines how those with an interest can participate.

"To place an offer on a property, please place the bid with an accompanying letter and contact information in a sealed envelope, to the attention of Rosamaria Miller, Corporate Administrator and provide to the front desk of City Hall, 424 3rd Avenue West, Prince Rupert, BC, V8J 1L7 no later than 4:00 pm Friday, March 11th, 2022."

As well if you have any questions related to the proposed disposition of civic owned land you are asked to contact Rosamaria Miller, the City's corporate administrator by email at rosamaria.miller@princerupert.ca 

You have until 4 PM on Friday, March 11th to particpate in the bid process.

You can review some of the themes of Housing to date in Prince Rupert through our archive page here.

A wider overview of Council discussion themes can be explored here.