Owen Sound Ontario - Owen Sound expects to begin negotiations soon with a potential tenant for the city-owned former Canadian Pacific Railway station, four years after purchasing the vacant building on the city's waterfront.
 
Council directed staff Monday night to immediately begin the process towards signing a long-term lease agreement with the proponent, which was not named during open session.
 
"We look forward to a very exciting project at that location and a ribbon-cutting early in the spring," Mayor Deb Haswell said in an interview following the council meeting.
 
She said city officials are bound by a confidentiality agreement to not disclose the name of the potential tenant during negotiations.
 
She said she cannot even say what type of business is proposed for the property, which is at 1198 First Avenue East by the Metro grocery store.
 
"It fits in with the strategic vision of the city and it's respectful of the heritage designation of the property," she said.
 
Owen Sound purchased the 68-year-old building, which is designated under the Heritage Railway Stations Protection Act, from the federal government for $153,500 in 2010.
 
The goal was to lease it to a tenant interested in transforming the building into a viable business that enhances the city's downtown and harbour front.
 
Owen Sound issued a request-for-proposal to seek potential tenants in 2010.
 
Over the years, some $200,000, mostly from Ontario Heritage Trust and other grants, has been spent to fix the building's roof, canopy, windows, and doors.
 
The city revised and reissued the RFP this spring, after several years had passed without securing a tenant.
 
The new documents stated that the closing date for the RFP would be the end of each month and proposals received during the month would be evaluated at the start of the next month until a selected proponent was accepted.
 
The city received two bids in August.
 
Staff evaluated the proposals earlier this month and recommended a preferred lessee during an in-camera session Monday.
 
Council directed staff during open session to begin negotiations with that proponent and to not accept any more proposals for the property during the four months of talks.
 
Since the proposed lease is for more than 21 years, Owen Sound's land sale bylaw requires the city to start the process to declare the former train station building as surplus.
 
But director of community services Pam Coulter said the city will still retain ownership of the property.

Denis Langlois.