By Joel van der Veen
DAVIDSON — After years of delays, the company responsible for developing East Sellers Crescent has begun preparations to pave the street and install curbs, making the lots ready for construction.
In a press release issued earlier this month, Morsky Industrial Services Ltd. of Regina
said it planned to begin the asphalt paving and concrete curbs on the east side of the crescent in August.
However, Dwight Mercer told the Leader on June 12 that contractors had finished another project ahead of schedule, allowing them to begin work in Davidson this month. Surveying crews were on the site on Monday and work was underway shortly afterward.
Mercer, a consultant working on behalf of the Morsky company, said that now is the ideal time to move forward on the subdivision, thanks to a combination of factors.
He said the company sees that the recent industrial and commercial activity in the Davidson area as a sign of increased demand for new housing.
As well, the fall in oil prices has led in turn to lower prices for contracting the asphalt pavement, allowing Mercer to procure the work at a more reasonable cost, he said.
“We’ve been shopping around for three years,” he explained, adding that the “prices were from another world.”
“There’s an opportunity for us to get things all done now,” he continued. “Once we have the pavement and the curbs installed by August, I think things will pick up.”
The east side of the crescent contains a total of 18 residential lots. Two of these have already been sold and developed, while the other 16 remain for sale.
Town administrator Gary Edom welcomed the announcement, saying the development should be a significant boost in helping the lots to sell.
“That’s good news, as far as we’re concerned,” he said. “It’d be a welcome addition.”
Edom acknowledged that the news had been a long time coming. The subdivision has been in development for more than five years, but its progress has moved at a modest pace.
He said the town has been in contact with the Morsky company “periodically,” but added, “There hasn’t been much there to talk about.”
Mercer confirmed that the company has been in regular contact with the town, noting, “They’d like to see people moving in.”
The lots on East Sellers Crescent were originally defined in 1981, but it wasn’t until 2009 that the Morsky company entered an agreement with the town to develop and sell the lots.
With an average frontage of 60 feet, the lots reflect the approach of that era, Mercer said, noting that they stand in stark contrast to the smaller lots being sold in cities at much higher prices.
For the full story, please pick up the June 22 edition of The Davidson Leader.