No takers to redevelop Upper Clements Park site

It used to be a bustling tourist attraction boasting one of Canada's only wooden roller coasters, but now the former site of Upper Clements Park is a deserted chunk of land no one is in a hurry to buy.

A request for proposals issued this year to redevelop the 26-hectare property has closed without a single official bid.

Coun. Jon Welch, who represents the area, said it's back to the drawing board for Annapolis County municipal council. It will likely look to redefine the request for proposals and hopefully drum up new interest six years after the theme park near Annapolis Royal closed its gates for good.

"I think we were looking for anything that would help return the land to some form of productive, community-orientated use," Welch told CBC Radio's Information Morning Nova Scotia. 

"We were leaning pretty heavily toward some form of housing." 

Aging infrastructure

The theme park opened in 1989 and Welch said he thinks developers could be reluctant to take on the cost of replacing the site's aging infrastructure, including water and septic systems.

Demolition of the theme park's attractions and buildings has already taken place, except for a few buildings "that were in decent enough shape," said Welch.

He said he met recently with Jill Balser, the PC MLA for Digby-Annapolis, and they talked about how the province may be able to help improve the infrastructure to be more desirable to develop. 

Welch said there is probably some disappointment and concern within the community over the lack of progress to redevelop the site, but he believes people understand that it takes time to find the right fit.

"I think a lot of residents in the area have a very strong emotional connection with the site as it does have a long history as a community landmark," said Welch. 

Park closed for good in 2019

Upper Clements Park originally cost the Nova Scotia government $23 million to build in 1989. The park was privately operated between 1994 and 1997 before a non-profit society took over. 

The park received injections of public money over the years amid falling visitor numbers. In 2017, the province agreed to put $300,000 toward maintenance of Upper Clement Park's buildings, rides and attractions.

The cash-strapped park shut down two years later.

In 2020, Annapolis County council bought the site for $600,000 to be redeveloped as a private boarding school and advanced $1.8 million for the project. The $62-million Gordonstoun school project was described by the warden at the time as a "game changer" that would bring significant spending and employment to the area.

But the land transfer and lease decision were ruled illegal in 2021 by the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia. The court's decision said the outgoing council disregarded provincial legislation when it voted on the matter after a municipal election and before a new council was to be sworn in.

Proposals 'have to benefit the public'

 Welch said the latest council wants to "do this right, not just do it."

"Any projects that we are looking at I think have to be financially viable and they have to benefit the public and they should be sensitive to the site's history and potential," said Welch.

"So I think we'll continue to welcome any serious well-developed proposals and we'll explore new pathways forward."