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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The price tag to demolish the infamous House of Horrors at the foot of Pilot's Monument to make way for park space is ringing in at $420,000.

Council is contemplating whether to finally tear down the infamous "House of Horrors" in favour of park space to complement Pilot's Monument. The lot is currently owned by Mark Avery, the co-owner of Redcliffe Developments. - NNSL file photo

City council was presented with a memorandum last week recommending the city purchase the historical site to develop a park. Redcliffe Developments is willing to sell the land to the city for $420,000, $10,000 less than the appraised value, according to city administration. The $10,000 off the price would help the city cover the cost of tearing down the 75-year-old infamous, former gambling den.

Mark Avery, co-owner of Redcliffe Developments, told Yellowknifer last October that there had been no plans to develop the 11,000 square-foot piece of property since buying it in 2009 from Bond Street Properties. He added, at the time, there had been some interest in the neighbourhood of converting the site into a park.

Bond Street Properties had bought the property in approximately 2000 from Reg Lafleur after a divorce settlement. At the time, Bond Street was developing a condominium complex at Bayview Estates but went bankrupt before it could complete the job. It was then that Avery scooped up both properties.

Both purchases by Bond Street and Avery have long worried some neighbours because of the potential for high-density development, similar to Bayview.

"Personally, I am delighted that the city is going to buy it and presumably use it like they said they would which is increase the tourist potential of the area," said Ian Drinnan, whose home on Ingraham Drive backs onto the lot.

Jeff Humble, director of planning and development for the city, said money for the purchase would come from the city's land development fund, which would leave the city with a balance of $300,000 after the purchase.

"The land fund is a revolving fund and one of the policies is that 30 per cent of those funds get invested in revitalization projects," he said. "This project would fit into that category.

From meeting with neighbours and his own experience travelling through the area, city councillor Phil Moon Son said he had three main concerns, including the steepness of the road - which he doesn't think is safe, the amount of traffic drawn by the monument and the safety and condition of the House of Horrors building.

While he isn't against the project, he said he would prefer seeing a land swap with Avery instead of outright buying the property.

"I thought there was going to be a swap with the owner, but that doesn't necessarily seem to be the case now," he said. "What we approved was we would let the city do what they thought best, but I think if possible, we should do a land swap if anything else."

Although last Monday's proposal has yet to be approved, council expects the project to go forward at the next council meeting for implementation this summer. There has also been $322,000 budgeted for asphalt paving on Ingraham and Racine drives and Dornboos Lane this summer.

Questions also arose Monday about what the park should be named, with a request coming from the Bromley family to perhaps give it their namesake.

Coun. Cory Vanthuyne said this could present some problems because there are already other locations in the city with the Bromley namesake attached to them.

"The city may have some minor concerns they would like to raise because I believe there is more than one something or other named after Bromley within city boundaries," said Vanthuyne. "That could raise concerns around public safety."

He worries multiple locations with similar names could cause confusion for municipal services personnel.

The "House of Horrors" is a former boarding house built in 1938. Mayor Mark Heyck said while the structure has "a colourful history," to preserve it would be difficult because the building is in such a poor state of disrepair.

"Unfortunately it is in such a condition that it is literally falling down," he said. "We have talked about involving the heritage committee in commemorating that building in one form or another once the site is redeveloped."

Coun. Niels Konge left the room during discussions on the building's fate, citing a conflict of interest because he works for Avery as a contractor.

Avery could not be reached for comment.

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