Location: Town of Sylvan Lake, Alberta, BC, Canada

Project Value: $800M

Services Performed:

• Prequalification of investment development leads
• Initial contact and follow-up with investors, developers, and hoteliers on identified projects
• Organize and schedule one on one investor / developer meetings

• Review and provide recommendations to amend outdated bylaws, policies and definitions that impede investment

• Establish an annual work plan with milestones

• Prepare documents (i.e. lease agreements, investor profiles, and other P3 related brochure text & layout)

• Provide recommendations to attract investment to Town

• Co-host annual 2-day economic business development summits
• Project and content manager of investment attraction video​

Project Website: https://www.sylvanlake.ca/en/business-development/sustainable-waterfront-area-redevelopment.aspx#

Project Details:

After years of planning, considerable public input and capital investment, the Town of Sylvan Lake is moving forward with their Waterfront Area Redevelopment Plan strategy. The total area represents +-412 acres of redevelopment potential, valued at in excess of $800 million CDN in hard costs. The nucleus of the redevelopment plan will be the community-owned lakeshore property comprising of 4.45 acres. A project of this magnitude; in itself, containing several differentiated development opportunities will span decades into the future.

October 2017, Bell Group was engaged by Sylvan Lake to promote investment opportunities in the redevelopment of their Waterfront District. Bell Group completed a review of existing Land Use Bylaws and Definitions, and improvements were recommended. In addition to this, Bell Group wrote several new draft Land Use Bylaws and several new Definitions. They will be in front of Council for adoption October of 2018; all of which were eventually adopted. April of 2018, Bell Group co-hosted with the Town of Sylvan Lake, its first Economic Business Development Summit. The summit brought together investors, developers, hoteliers and visionaries that will assist the community in moving the Waterfront District redevelopment forward.

Bell Group has written and designed two Economic Development Brochures highlighting the real estate investment opportunities in Sylvan Lake and the progression the community has achieved. As part of the REIMAGINE project, Bell Group created a new brochure that focused on the refinements brought forward from the visioning Charrette held in May 2019. Bell Group has worked closely with Sylvan Lake’s Economic Development Officer at the time, Vicki Kurz to bring private investment capital to the community so they may achieve their redevelopment goals for the Waterfront District.

Updates: Bell Group continues to work with Sylvan and are on the cusp of negotiating a P3 agreement for the community owned lakeshore property. Bell crafted both the P3 agreement and the long-term lease for the subject property. This project alone will bring +-40M for the base building construction, an additional +- 20M for tenant improvements, create approximately 50 new employment opportunities and provide a public gathering place serving the entire community. Now working directly with Sylvan Lake’s CAO, Wally Ferris, Bell Group and Mr. Ferris  are currently in the process of updating the current economic development opportunity brochure. One that will also need to take into account the economic impact from the current pandemic.