employment lands, commercial lands, and residential lands.” Along with proximity to Winnipeg, the Stony Mountain community will be eleven minutes from CenterPort, a large industrial development in Rosser. “Rosser is not set up to accept new residential growth, so they are supporting us in our efforts to design housing for the workforce for CenterPort,” he adds.“With that, you can commute, or you can work within your community. It’s a great opportunity, and it’s location, location, location.” The RM’s collaboration with developers, including Kenaston Development and Skylark Development, provide a well-rounded approach to growth. “As we speak, they’re in conversations with different business opportunities. The RM of Rockwood is also in conversation with builders, commercial and industrial. We do have a few irons in the fire for industrial use, which I can’t mention right now because they are confidential at this point,” outlines Luellman.“There is opportunity, and this helps build on what we do have.” Additionally, the municipality is investing in industrial space, with 146 acres already under development and an additional 215 acres planned for future use. Magellan Aerospace is one of Rockwood’s major industries.“They’ve been here for many decades, and this will be a compliment to their industrial park that they have themselves. Right now, it’s an open palette we are marketing from East Coast to West Coast for opportunities,” Luellman reports. INVESTMENT IN INFRASTRUCTURE To support these ambitious plans, Rockwood has invested $5.8 million into two lift stations and a force main, in collaboration with Taillieu Construction Ltd. The municipality has also embarked on a $5 million road project which included a $1 million investment from the Province of Manitoba. Luellman notes that this $7 million investment will eventually result in over $400 million in added assessment. “That’s much needed revenue for the RM of Rockwood and our developers, so everybody will be winners and a success story. We call that a minor investment for a huge gain,” he asserts. “The RM of Rockwood is 4 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 01
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTI5MjAx