Unprecedented sales of vacant city lots has forced the city to change its policy on lot sales, while the city tries to get more lots available to buyers by later this year.

Lot sales of vacant residential lots by the city totalled 57 as of the end of July, compared to 14 at this time last year. In all of 2006, there were 37 lots sold, and the sales this year have completely depleted the city's inventory of R1 and R2 lots; there is only one lot available zoned as R3 or R4, and five trailer park lots (R5) are available on 10th Avenue on South Hill.

In a report to council from Doug Mulhall, manager of Community Services, preparations are underway right now to have about 50 new R1 residential lots available by this fall; meantime, a waiting list is being kept for anyone interested so they will be contacted when lots become available.

Under the new policy for buying lots, the first major change is restrict the number of lots that can be bought by any one person, company or developer to three. Prior to this, there was no limit on the number of lots that could be purchased.

"This change is intended to provide reasonable access to a limited lot supply," said Mulhall in his report, noting there were six lot buyers recently who each bought three or more lots in 2007. If a buyer wanted more than three lots, the request would have to be approved by council.

The second change is to the quit claim fee. Currently, the quit claim fee is $500 for a residential lot, and $2,000 for an apartment, commercial or industrial lot.

A quit claim fee is paid if a purchaser decides not to proceed with development on a lot, or fails to comply with development requirements as per the agreement for sale. The quit claim fee will now be a daily rate calculated as 10 per cent of the purchase price divided by 180, and multiplied by the number of days between the purchase date and the quit claim date.

The minimum fee is $500 for housing lots, and $3,000 for apartment, or commercial or industrial lots, and the maximum is 10 per cent of the purchase price.

As lots are being sold, so also are building permits continuing to be strong for the City, with a total of 102 permits issued as of the end of July worth $16.6 million, compared to 72 permits worth $5.3 million a year ago. Of this total, 84 permits are for residential construction worth $14.7 million, with 77 dwelling units created, 30 of them single family dwellings and 47 as multiple family dwellings.

Council considered a request from the Weyburn Red Wings to sell beer in the stands instead of restricted to the multi-purpose room at the Colosseum, and passed a motion to have beer sales available generally throughout the rink.

In the request from the Red Wings, written by vice-president Ryan Williams, the team wanted to use the mezzanine above Section H, and Section H itself, to see if beer sales would work there, before trying to make it available generally through all the stands.

The board of directors feel this move will help improve their beer sales and help the team's bottom line.

"We have experienced no problems or issues with the current location, therefore we feel the time is right to move on to bigger and better things," said Williams in his letter.

For council's part, they don't like the idea of picking one section and just using that for beer sales, not to mention having customers climb the steep stairs up to the mezzanine to buy the beer.

Coun. Dick Michel said the Beavers were allowed to have beer sales this year, and people were mostly responsible with it.

"If you're going to allow it in the Colosseum, you don't just pick a section," said Coun. Michel.

Coun. Rob Stephanson also didn't like picking one section, and said the city hasn't addressed the safety issue of the stairs.

"I would be more inclined to leave it where it is, and allow them to sell it so they can sit anywhere in the rink," he said.

One of the concerns the team had is whether their security would be adequate to handle things if beer was allowed anywhere in the Colosseum. Coun. Stephanson said if there were no concerns or problems, then security should not be a problem, and suggested restricting the beer drinkers to one section would be liable to cause more problems rather than if they could sit anywhere in the rink.

In the end, council approved a motion to allow beer to be sold from a location yet to be determined, with people allowed to sit anywhere in the rink with it, and to try it on a trial basis for September and October to see how it works.

Council approved a tax incentive for a new assisted-living condo apartment complex downtown, Liberty Manor, which is using the former Mr. Ribs location on the main floor as the common area and eating area for the residents.

Liberty Manor will have 17 dwelling units, and will be available for seniors who want some assistance, but are not in need of extended nursing care. The staff would provide two meals a day, laundry service.

This type of assisted living was previously unavailable in Weyburn, council was told, and it will have between nine and 11 employees.

Council approved the tax concession on the new assessment portion of the building, with 75 per cent discount in the first year, 50 per cent in the second year and 25 per cent in the third year following completion of construction.