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Construction commencing on transit transfer station at Edelbrock

May 25, 2023   ·   0 Comments

By JAMES MATTHEWS, LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER

Construction of the Orangeville Transit Terminal and transfer station could begin as early as June.

During its May 15 regular meeting, town council received an agreement with Dufferin County that would allow work to start on constructing the bus terminal on a parcel of land at 37 Hillside Drive and 30 Centre Street, known locally as the Edelbrock Centre Lands.

The lands were donated to the county by virtue of a Donation Agreement with the Edelbrock Family.

Subject to the terms of the agreement, the county will receive freehold title to the Edelbrock Centre Lands on or before Oct. 13, 2026. For the period prior to the conveyance of freehold title, the county is the tenant of the Edelbrock Centre Lands pursuant to the lease agreement between the two parties.

The town had studied the feasibility of redeveloping the portion of the land to build a new transit transfer terminal for the town’s transit system. Based on that study and discussions between the town and the county, the property is considered a prime location for a transit terminal transfer station as it was central to its current operations and routes.

Since the county is not the outright owner of the property and will not be until October 2026, the county and its solicitors had suggested that a sublease was not appropriate at this time. It was therefore suggested that a Memo of Understanding be developed to allow the town to pursue construction of the transit terminal and continue with its program to provide updated service to its residents.

The memo speaks to an easement being granted in favour of the town when the county takes outright ownership of the land on Oct. 13, 2026.

Staff are recommending this approach to ensure that construction of the terminal proceeds in a timely manner and is completed in 2023 so that the town can continue to develop its transit system and update its level of service as previously reported.

Essentially this administrative process would proceed concurrently with the physical construction of the terminal to save time and expedite the start of construction.

A contractor for the work has been secured, and a contract is being prepared so construction can begin in June or July of this year. Given previous discussions with the county, town staff are confident that once the memo is signed by both parties, the transition to a lease will be seamless.

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