McClelland Minute - May 31, 2009

History is Important

I was having lunch with my two brothers-in-law the other day and we got to reminiscing about what buildings used to exist in certain locations around the city, what was standing there today, and swapping stories about the owners.  It made me realize that a growing community is continually pushing back its perimeters, by doing so it naturally forces certain businesses to relocate.

For example, where today a popular fast food restaurant stands, forty years ago it was home to an auto wrecking yard. A three storey apartment building sits on land once used as a gas station.  A former mortuary is now home to a social services organization.

This type of transition is not exclusive just to cities either.  Many country homes have been built on land first designated for a country school or church.  An industrial park now inhabits what used to be a storage yard for a trucking company.  There are a number of upscale homes built along a creek local kids enjoyed rafting on in the spring time or hunting rabbits in the fall. 

It can be even more dramatic than that.  Children play soccer on top of an early garbage dump.  Golfers pay good money to swing their clubs in what used to be someone’s old cow pasture.  Part of one of the top courses in western Canada, Wolf Creek, south of Ponoka, is a restored gravel pit.  For that matter, so is Butchart Gardens in Victoria, a beautiful horticulture showcase located in an exhausted limestone quarry.

We even laugh about the changes that have occurred in our 104 year old family farm.  I swear that I have moved one junk pile at least three times.  There are so many underground water, power, telephone, and boiler lines around the expanded yardsite; it would probably be a good idea to create a map before I get Alzheimer’s!

As a society we are becoming increasingly conscious of the environmental impact of our past and current activities.  Researching the previous use of a parcel is considered very important to the commercial / industrial buyer, but may also be a prudent exercise for those considering purchasing a residence located near the core or along the access roads of a community. 

While the likelihood of there being anything harmful to your health in the ground is remote, it may be comforting to know a little history about it.  You may even avoid digging up a surprise in the garden as one man did when building a water feature with a back hoe and discovering an engine block two feet below the surface.  At least it wasn’t a skeleton!

 Vern McClelland is an associate broker with RE/MAX of Lloydminster.  For more helpful hints on buying or selling real estate visit www.mcclelland.ca or calling (306) 821-0611.

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