CBS council accepts land for taxes

By Craig Westcott

The Town of CBS is getting a sweet deal from a subdivision developer in Seal Cove.

Council has agreed to accept a proposal from the developer to swap 559 square metres of land at 10 Fencer Place in exchange for writing off the company’s outstanding taxes.

What makes it sweet is that the developer only owes $750 while the value of the land is assessed at $48,100. The problem is, the lot doesn’t have enough depth to accommodate residential development.

The land is a remnant of a swath of ground the developer used to build a subdivision. The developer had planned to buy some adjacent land to consolidate enough space for further development but didn’t follow through with that plan.

Council has agreed to write off the outstanding taxes with the developer being responsible for all legal, surveying, conveyancing and registration costs for the transfer, while leaving the Town with “the flexibility to use or dispose of the land as it considers appropriate,” according to a briefing note prepared for council.