There have been some new developments in a story that Swift Current Online first reported on back in July, as a long-negotiated agreement between the city and a local landowner has changed again.

At issue since 2016 has been a 1.1-acre plot of land on the south side of Adam Street, which the city and the owner, J & P Bardahl Investments Ltd. had been unable to reach an agreement on for servicing cost.

It seemed in July that an agreement had finally been reached, after five months of negotiations between Bardahl, Mayor Al Bridal and city administration. That initial agreement would see the 1.1 acres ceded to the city along with a sum of $100,000 dollars in four installments to settle the outstanding servicing bill. The city would then rezone the property to R3 in order to consider further development.

Now, it looks as though J & P Bardahl Ltd. will be keeping their property.

Negotiations that took place after the initial council meeting centring on the restrictions on the property led to another offer being delivered by Bardahl; this time one that included a $400,000 dollar upfront payment in cash to pay for their share of the outstanding servicing fees.

The city will still rezone the land to R3, after an additional payment of $25,000 dollars, as well as another $25,000 when the landowner has made an application for subdivision.

Part of the issue with the property, and any future development on it, is the fact that it lies inside the 1:500 floodway; a provincial standard meant to protect property from increasing risk of flood damage. In layman's terms, a 1:500 year flood event means that a flood of that magnitude has a 0.2 percent chance of occurring every year. Therefore for anything to be built on the land, Bardahl would need to first bring it above that standard.

While a lower standard would allow for properties to be built closer to watercourses and shorelines (in this particular case the Swift Current Creek) it would also increase the risk of flooding to those properties.

According to the administration, a future agreement for servicing that lot will be made when lot plans and subdivisions are finalized.

There is no word when (or if) that will eventually happen, though Bardahl has indicated that it would like to name any potential development "Creekside Estates".