BRENDA O’FARRELL
The 1019 Report

Hudson taxpayers will be given a say on whether the town moves forward with a formal bid to purchase the land surrounding Sandy Beach if a deal is struck with the owners of the wooded wetlands along the Lake of Two Mountains, said Mayor Chloe Hutchison.

That was the assurance the mayor offered July 15 as Hudson council held a special meeting to approve two contracts for studies that will help the town determine the value of the land.

When asked, Hutchison said she personally supports the idea of saving all of the Sandy Beach area from development, but as mayor, she is “keeping an open mind and open ears” to find the level of acceptability from residents in terms of what financial burden they are willing to shoulder to make that happen.

The two contracts approved by council last week include a $25,000 market valuation of the properties in the Sandy Beach area owned by developer Nicanco Holdings Inc. and a neighbouring lot that is currently listed for sale for $1.5 million, and a $27,500 cost-benefit analysis of the proposed development project for the site that will outline the entire cost to the town, including infrastructure and service expenditures. This will provide a clearer understanding of the fiscal implications of the proposed development plans.

It is expected that the studies will take several months to complete.

Lawsuit on hold

Hutchison said the reports will help inform the town’s negotiations with Nicanco, which has formally informed the town that it would be willing to entertain an offer to purchase the land. To that end, the company has put its lawsuit against the town over delays on hold.

Meanwhile, a group of residents who have stepped forward to lead a grassroots fundraising effort to create a funding vehicle to facilitate the purchase of the Sandy Beach area in order to eliminate the threat of development has made strides in the last few weeks.

“There is a lot of opportunity and we have organized ourselves to deliver a lot of money,” resident Cam Gentile, who is one of the organizers of the group, told council at the meeting.

Part of the group’s efforts, Gentile said, will be the launching of an awareness campaign to build public support for its fundraising effort.