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City of Nanaimo and VIU encroaching on each other’s land, so they’ve arranged a trade

City of Nanaimo gets piece of 900 Fifth St., VIU gets part of Fifth Street itself
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City of Nanaimo maps of the pieces of property subject to a land swap with Vancouver Island University. (CITY of Nanaimo images)

The City of Nanaimo and Vancouver Island University have been encroaching on each other’s property, so they’ve worked out a trade – one piece of land for another.

The parcels of land are at 900 Fifth Street, and part of Fifth Street itself.

Nanaimo city council, at a meeting Monday, set the trade in motion by passing first and second readings of a necessary road closure bylaw.

The trade will rectify “historical encroachment,” noted a staff report. Dale Lindsay, the city’s general manager of community development, said at Monday’s meeting that a portion of Serauxmen Stadium straddles the existing property line between 900 Fifth Street and 745 Third St., and a section of Fifth Street is being used by the university for parking and access to parking.

The city acquired 745 Third St. from the Nanaimo-Ladysmith school district in 2017.

Lindsay said both pieces of land are appraised at $175,000, and the city and university will share costs on legal fees and surveying necessary to complete the land swap.

Nanaimo city council pointed out that the city is trading a smaller 34,000-square-foot piece of land for a larger 74,500-square-foot piece of land.

“The larger chunk that the city’s getting has a good section of that land that is riparian, [along] a creek, so the reality is yeah, we’re getting a larger section, but a good section of which has emcumbrances on it,” Lindsay said.



editor@nanaimobulletin.com

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