By Sam Borsato - @BorsatoSam on Twitter

Sale of Oliver Building to Local Company Approved by Council

Jun 27, 2016 | 3:36 PM

LETHBRIDGE – After sitting vacant in Lethbridge’s Downtown for a number of years, the Oliver Building has finally been sold to the highest bidder by the City.

Council approved the $9,500 sale to Hegnberg Ltd. on Monday afternoon.

William Oliver, who was a Lethbridge alderman and four-time mayor, built it along 5 Street South nearly 110-years ago, with largely locally-made bricks and unique architectural features.

Following a public hearing on May 16, 2016, council agreed to change its zoning to Direct Control (DC).

“There really is no grey area, it’s rather a black or white issue. We really want to make sure we keep the historical significance intact,” explained Councillor Ryan Parker, who moved the resolution to change the zoning from Downtown Commercial.

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“More importantly it’s the facade, just the way the building originally was supposed to look. So, whatever gets built there will look exactly, if not very close to what’s there today.”

The DC designation restricts the range of use normally permitted or discretionary. Any sort of automotive uses, like auto body or paint shops, parking facilities, vehicle sales or rentals and service stations, will not be permitted on the land.

It will also better capture the vision of the Heart of Our City Master Plan and Downtown Area Redevelopment Plan.

The City of Lethbridge took ownership of the Oliver Building in 2014 as a property tax settlement, and has had to remain vacant since it’s in such bad disrepair.