Despite city council members devoting an hour to it on Tuesday, there’s still no word on what’s holding up their decision on a Kingsway Employment District cost-sharing agreement.
At issue is a proposed $8.6-million contribution toward a road opening up the site, extending Levesque Street northward to open up 30 hectares of industrial land as part of the broader Jack Nicholas Business and Innovation Subdivision (also called the Kingsway Employment District).
Early in Tuesday’s meeting, Ward 11 Coun. Bill Leduc requested that members go into closed session to discuss the proposed cost-sharing agreement, which city staff recommended for approval.
All members but Ward 1 Coun. Mark Signoretti voted in favour of going into closed session.
After the hour-long closed meeting, Ward 8 Coun. Al Sizer reported, “No direction or recommendations emanated from the meeting.”
City council members and staff are prohibited from sharing publicly what takes place in closed-session meetings aside from what is declared during these brief “matters arising from the closed session” remarks which follow.
Tuesday’s closed session came a few days after Ward 7 Coun. Natalie Labbée introduced a successful deferral, pushing a city council decision to April 22.
Until Labbée’s motion to defer, city council members had been expected to make a decision on the cost-sharing agreement during the March 18 finance and administration committee meeting.
Labbée requested the deferral, she explained on April 18, because “some new information” had been brought to her attention. “It’s time-sensitive and it could likely impact how council votes on this matter that’s before us.”
She has declined to share what this rationale is, and it has not been made public.
In a Facebook post, she indicated that she might never say.
“I may decide to share more details on April 22 and I may not,” she wrote. “My reasons for the deferral will be a not issue by April 22 and won't impact my decision about the matter anyway. That's all I am going to say about it.”
The cost-sharing agreement includes a municipal contribution of $8,599,488 toward the construction of a road to open up industrial lands on The Kingsway. It was recommended by city staff for approval, as it complies with regular procedures.
The contribution would come in the form of $2,866,296 in reimbursements to the developer upon substantial completion of the road, and $5,732,592 in transferable development charge credits.
The total eligible project cost is $11,465,185, of which the developer would foot the bill for its $2,866,296 balance (25 per cent), extending Levesque Street northward from The Kingsway to the edge of the property line, opening up 30 hectares of the subdivision’s 70 hectares of land.
The northward road would be transferred to the city upon completion and eventually extend farther north to Lasalle Boulevard as part of a longer-term city plan.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.