A home on Blackbridge Drive and Townline Road, purchased by the City of Cambridge for $2.5 million in 2020 for the Blackbridge Road bridge replacement project, has been vacant since July 2021 and could sit empty until the project is complete in 2026.
The city bought the A-frame log home on the northwest corner of the intersection because it's part of a four-acre property deemed integral to the realignment of the road.
The city plans to sever the property and retain three acres for the road realignment, then sell the home and one acre it sits on for about $1.5 million once the project is complete.
But now that the design work for the realignment is done, utility work at the intersection is well underway, and the full project is about to go to tender, one councillor thinks the city should sell now and recoup the money.
"That makes no sense," said Coun. Mike Devine of the plan to seek council approval to dispose of the surplus lands in 2026. "I think we should sell now."
Devine adds he's had discussions with staff about moving forward on the sale instead of waiting until the project is completed.
"Instead of dicking around, they need to be selling that," he said.
City staff confirmed the four-bedroom home with in-ground pool is vacant and not being leased in the meantime.
In justifying the purchase to council, staff said it will allow for a shorter bridge span and result in "significant cost savings for the project."
"The property is a critical path to the successful delivery of the project, and is necessary for the new road and bridge alignment. It will allow for a shorter bridge span resulting in significant cost savings for the project," staff wrote in 2020.
Preliminary design was completed in 2019 which enabled staff to move forward with securing property requirements for the project, including 1000 Blackbridge Road.
The city is replacing the old truss bridge over the Speed River with a two-lane concrete span complete with sidewalk and bike lanes. The heritage truss bridge will be retained for a multi-use pathway that will run south of the new span.
The city says detailed design for the bridge, road and trail is 90 per cent complete, with the final design ready for tendering later this year.
Utility relocation work is currently underway, and it is anticipated that construction will start in 2024.
