After the 2013 flood, the Province decided to offer buyouts to all homeowners whose primary residence was touching the floodway, as mapped in 1992.

The Town purchased the homes from the Province so they can be returned to private ownership, restoring a sense of community in these beautiful neighbourhoods.

Yes, some water did enter these homes during the flood. Each house has had repairs required to remedy water presence.

Safety Codes Permitting Requirements packageYes. High River a leader in flood mitigation, with World-class protection in place making it one of the safest communities in Canada. These houses are now well protected by a mitigation network that includes dikes and overland flow areas.

This mitigation network protects the entire town, including the Northwest neighbourhood and these properties, from another 2013-sized event from happening. See more information in the 2022 Insurance Letter.

No, the houses are not immediately move-in ready as all require varying degrees of work. All the properties with existing frames in the basements, will need to pull new building permits before renovations begin. For more information, please read the Safety Codes Permitting Requirements package.

The houses have had holes cut in the drywall for environmental testing to check for humidity and air quality, making some drywall repairs necessary on the main floor. Additional drywall repairs in the basement WILL require a building permit.

Some of the properties will require some utility hook-ups such as gas, electrical, and/or water. These utility hook-ups will also require specific permits from our Safety Codes division. Please read here for more information.

After being vacant for 7 years or longer all need some general maintenance to the interior and exterior with a thorough cleaning and airing out. In some homes, appliances may require replacement.

All the properties require varying utility hook-ups such as gas, electrical, and/or water. As each property is different, please click on the property address located in the table above to view the full information for that property via the Key Information tab.

Any utility work will require a building and utility-specific permits. Please read the Safety Codes Permitting requirements package here.

Water lines were drained and toilet bowls were filled with RV anti-freeze.

Yes. The Town has developed a sales package for each home, including photos of each house taken in September 2021. Open Houses are planned for each property; see above table for the schedule of Open Houses. A waiver will be required to tour each property, and you are welcome to bring it signed to each open house you want to view.

The Town took possession of the houses on March 28, 2022 and will start selling them by a sealed bid sale in mid-April 2022.

The Town plans to sell two properties every two weeks by sealed bid: one single family detached and one semi-attached home. The goal is to finalize the sale of all properties by the end of July 2022. Please see above table, for the schedule of properties for sale.

The minimum bid for each property reflects the amount the Town has spent to purchase each home. These include buying each house from the Province as well as the Town’s legal and land transfer fees.

A detailed description of the process to buy the houses can be found here. It will require bidders to provide a qualified sealed bid by the deadline for that property sale. There is no need to register to participate in this sale. Please see the Resources above for more information.

A sealed bid sale is a type of sale where the bids are not viewed until the sale date. The bids are sealed by the prospective purchasers in a physical envelope and are all opened at once in a public process. The highest qualified bid will identify the successful purchaser of the property.

The winning bid will be the highest qualified bid no matter the dollar spread. The amounts can vary by an amount as small as $10 or by a large sum of thousands of dollars as long as they are above the opening bid.

In the event of the highest bid amount being a tie, the tied bidders will be given a new deadline to provide a tie-breaking bid. This process will continue until one winning bidder is selected.

A qualified bid means all requirements are met and included in the sealed bid.

A more detailed, step-by-step process is included in the sealed bid process checklist, found in the HOW TO BID document here.

The Town has created a checklist (page 7) of documents bidders will need to include in their sealed bid. At this time, we can confirm the sealed bid must include:

• The bidder’s legal name and contact information
• The address of the property being bid on
• A deposit, as outlined in the purchase documentation
• Confirmation of funding to finance the bidder’s purchase
• The bid amount

Yes. Individuals and/or companies can submit qualified bids for each of the properties they wish to buy and for which they have secured funding.

These sales are for the house and the property. All properties back onto the golf course. As with any building, prospective bidders could contact house movers directly for more information regarding future plans, should they be the successful purchaser.

Individuals and companies who have funding for the deposit and purchase can submit a sealed bid. High River’s Council has provided direction, at the March 14, 2022 Regular Meeting of Council, for Administration to restrict the bidding on the fourteen (14) Southern Alberta Flood Relocation Program (SAFRP) Properties to align with direction related to Tax Sales in the Municipal Government Act Section 429.1 that councillors, the chief administrative officer and the designated officers and employees of the municipality must not bid for or buy, or act as an agent in buying, any parcel of land offered for sale.

As a municipality, the Town must provide a fair, transparent, and open process for disposition (selling) of properties. Through the sealed bid process, previous owners are welcome to bid on the properties along with anyone else.

Yes, all of the properties are subject to an HOA and bylaws. On High View Park, the monthly HOA fees are currently $145. On Riverside Drive, there are no monthly fees and no services provided, however certain architectural controls are in place through the HOA bylaws. See the attached documents for more information:

• High View Park HOA
• Riverside Drive HOA