The Town of Smithers has announced that they have picked Ambleside Land Ltd. to develop the land south of Canadian Tire.
Expressions of Interest were received by the town after a call was made in March this year. After their closing date in April they shortlisted three developers and discussed concepts on June 24.
Ambleside Land, the Town said in a news release, will develop the 44 acre town-owned land in a phased way.
The next step will be to develop a legal agreement for the phased purchase and development of the lands. Ambleside Land, the Town said, will begin work on a master plan for this fall, which will include details including timelines. Detailed engineering work will be done over the winter and construction will start for the first phase of the project in the spring-summer of 2012.
Ambleside Land is based in Campbell River. They are a real estate developer with over 20 years experience in residential and commercial development.
"The Town of Smithers is delighted to be working with a developer that has a strong track record of development in Northern B.C. and who can bring his experience and ideas to our community to help us meet our residential needs in both the immediate and long-term future," said Mayor Cress Farrow. "It has been a high priority for Smithers council to move development forward. We are extremely pleased and comfortable with the expertise Ambleside brings to our community."
Jim Dobinson of Ambleside said that Smithers is "without a doubt the most progressive community in the north and shows so much promise."