It’s a great price to have a park for the City of Delta.
Council has approved yet another licence agreement with Kwantlen Polytechnic University that will see the municipality use property the post-secondary institute owns at Paterson Park for a passive park. The two-year deal will see Delta pay an annual licence fee of just $1.
Bound by Ladner Trunk Road and Highway 17A, the former harness racing track has been vacant and used as a park for decades. The western portion of the park, comprising just under five hectares, which is about 12 acres, is owned by Delta. The eastern section, comprising just under four hectares, is owned by the university. Delta will maintain the entire site for passive park purposes.
The university in 1993 purchased its portion of the park from the Delta Agricultural Society with the idea of building a post-secondary campus. Nothing was built and Kwantlen has no plans to build anything there.
A few years ago, the university confirmed it was going to put the land up for sale to divest itself of the property. However, a challenge finding a buyer is the fact the land is zoned for public use. Also, the Delta Agricultural Society sold the land at a discount under the provision a post-secondary institute would be built there, which means any other plans would also require the society’s approval.
Coun. Sylvia Bishop in 2012 brought forward a motion for the municipality to purchase Kwantlen's portion but those conversations went nowhere. Mayor Lois Jackson at the time noted the zoning for restricts what can be done, and she didn't know where Delta would get the millions to make such purchase.
The latest licence agreement with Kwantlen allows the university to install signage on its portion if it wants to try selling the property, as well as a termination clause that requires 30 days’ notice.
The city has no plans, not even for the long-term, to develop the park.
