Alberta government frees up land to give Fort McMurray room to grow

The Alberta government has agreed to the conditional sale of 202 acres of Crown land in the Saline Creek area to the Rotary Club of Fort McMurray to develop a new residential community with housing options ranging from town houses to single family units.

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Fort McMurray - August 3, 2012 - The Alberta government has agreed to the conditional sale of 202 acres of Crown land in the Saline Creek area to the Rotary Club of Fort McMurray to develop a new residential community with housing options ranging from town houses to single family units. The lands adjoin property where the Rotary Club is proposing to develop a public golf course.

The conditional sale is part of the Alberta government’s comprehensive strategy for releasing additional Crown land for the timely development of more residential, industrial and commercial lands in Fort McMurray.

“This land sale and the development of needed housing will help address some of the significant growth pressures that are taking place in Fort McMurray,” said Mike Allen, MLA for Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo. “This project will help stabilize land prices in the area by addressing the need for more housing and will support Rotary’s ongoing community service efforts. The bottom line is that we are making Fort McMurray more affordable and an even greater place to live and raise a family.”

"Land for development remains one of our region's biggest challenges," said Melissa Blake, Mayor of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. "This much anticipated development will stimulate investment, add housing variety, and contribute to our quality of life by providing a new recreational asset in the region."

Over the next couple of months both parties will work towards finalizing the agreement so that initial activity can begin on site as soon as possible.

“The Fort McMurray Rotary Club is extremely excited that we are moving forward on this project that will address identified growth pressures and improve the quality of life in our community,” said Fort McMurray Rotary President Dan Lemke. “We would like to thank the province for their efforts and we look forward to finalizing the sale and moving forward with this project as quickly as possible.”

This land sale is an important component of the province’s land release strategy and Responsible Actions, Alberta's 20-year strategic plan for the oil sands, which includes efforts to support further planning and development of vibrant communities in the oil sands regions.