Sliver of land slated to become Starbucks

By Medicine Hat News on July 15, 2020.

A sliver of land on a main route in north Medicine Hat is set to become a Starbucks one year after it was sold by the city as “surplus land” and one month after city officials signalled a “significant development” was pending.

Land adjacent to Altawana Drive near the Maple Avenue Bridge is described in a development permit issued this month by the city’s planning department as for use as a “restaurant.”

Those documents and sources say the enterprise will be a Starbucks outlet, though the developer has not responded to inquiries from the News.

Crews are currently running a new sewer line through a bore hole under the bridge approach in the area that includes a high traffic intersection with Parkview Drive as well as the city’s newest firehall.

Last month council passed a bylaw creating a temporary road allowance to bypass construction, which was described as vital considering it would continue access to several existing businesses and the lot, where “significant development” was planned.

The lot is a remainder of road right-of-way that was acquired during a previous expansion of Altawana Drive. It was one of several properties identified by the Land and Business Support office in late 2018 as surplus land with resale potential.

That was part of a council strategy to boost development in mature areas of the city, and in early 2019, council okayed the sale of the property at 511 Fourth Ave., N.E. for a price of $371,100. The transaction, with an unnamed buyer, was scheduled to close in June that year.

Hearing for shop conversion

The empty shop on the eastern edge of the South Flats could become a testing facility for an engineering firm following a public hearing at next week’s city council meeting.

The building at 1102 Shale Street is currently vacant and sits on land designated as “direct control,” but local firm Vision Integrity Engineering has applied to convert it for use for industrial service applications, including x-ray testing on materials.

The general area is described as “general mixed use” in the River Flats Redevelopment plan.

The matter will be discussed at council’s July 20 meeting, which will include a public hearing. Formal submissions are due by noon, on Wednesday, July 15, to the city clerk’s office.

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