ELORA – Elora’s downtown greenspace will remain just that after the council approved renewing the lease for the land.
The greenspace at 25 West Mill St., at the corner of Metcalfe Street, has been leased to Centre Wellington since 2011 by Suncor Energy who in the past operated a gas station there. This area has become a popular spot for tourists and is known for the Tall Man statue in the middle.
With the lease expiring at the end of the year, staff brought forward to a council meeting on Monday a renewal agreement to lease the space for another 10 years ending Dec. 31, 2032.
Coun. Ian MacRae declared a pecuniary interest in this matter as a relative has shares in Suncor.
CAO Dan Wilson explained the same conditions apply to the existing lease which is a 120 day notice of termination and Suncor doesn’t have to pay the property tax which is $9,000 per year. The tax and any maintenance are the only cost to the municipality, Wilson said.
Council was in favour of renewing but Coun. Kirk McElwain brought up concern that the township doesn’t have right of refusal, that being the first shot at buying the property should Suncor wish to sell.
“I still have a list of citizens who spent a lot of money on that … I’d hate to lose it because we didn’t do our due diligence ahead of time,” McElwain said.
Wilson responded this was brought up in negotiations but Suncor indicated it wasn’t in a position to put that in a lease agreement.
“They did say that they’re not looking to sell anytime soon, so I think this is as good as an agreement we can ask for at this point,” Wilson said.
Coun. Bob Foster asked if staff could look into a similar arrangement with the Suncor owned site at 390 St. David St. N., also a former gas station site.
Wilson said staff have had informal discussions on this in the past and could investigate it further in the future.
Council unanimously approved renewing the lease
