Commencing this month, the City of Nanaimo will remove trees for Linley Valley Drive starting at Turner Road. This section, shown by the grey area below, is budgeted to cost taxpayers $1 million. It will be approximately 85 feet wide.
The dotted line shows the continuation of Linley Valley Drive to be completed at a future date. Linley Valley Drive, upon its final completion, will be a major thoroughfare connecting Turner, Rock City and Burma Roads.
The City of Nanaimo has to complete construction of Linley Valley Drive and build sewer and water infrastructure to the land behind Oliver Woods which is to be ultimately owned by Insight Holdings Ltd.
SD68 agreed to sell its six acre parcel to Insight Holdings Ltd. in March 2013 for $1.5 million contingent upon the City of Nanaimo completing the infrastructure.
At the last Nanaimo council meeting on March 3, 2014 questions were raised about another piece of property located at 420 Selby which is part of this messy land swap business.
SD68 must receive title to 420 Selby Street from the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations before it transfers it to the City of Nanaimo.
All these land swaps started with Pioneer Park. The land at 6780 Dickinson Road which was originally crown land given to Nanaimo for a park. Then the City turned around and gave it to SD68 for an elementary school. In turn, SD68 wanted to sell the land for residential development.
Nanaimo residents are waiting for SD68 to transfer the land back to the City and for Pioneer Park to be officially dedicated a park.
