Local icon for sale

Leah Curley

What business could be more representative of an agricultural community than a feed mill? Located on Victoria Street, right next to the rail line that once ran through Knowlton, H. Coderre & Fils was in every way central to community life.

The end of an era

In the early 1960s, Canadian Pacific Railway shut down the line that ran from its station near the corner of Lansdowne, across Victoria and behind Academy Lane, then along the Coldbrook stream, where it crossed a trestle bridge and eventually made its way up through Brome Village to Sutton Junction. In the 1970s, the tracks were torn up and the Knowlton train station was torn down.

While admittedly a tiny portion of the CPR’s 20,100 km of track, the abandonment of the line between Victoria and Coldbrook was big news in the neighbourhood. The railroad’s right of way was a swath of land 1.5 chains wide (90 feet/27.5 metres) and homeowners on both sides were keen to buy their share. But the CPR decided it was easier to sell the whole parcel to Coderre’s owner, who hoped to use it as a lumber yard. Neighbours, however, rebelled and, like the CPR tracks, lumber yard plans were abandoned. Since that time, the mill has continued to operate and, for the last decade, has been under the ownership of Ross Clarkson and Shelly Judge. Today, Ross and Shelly have put the property up for sale. Once again, people are wondering what will happen next on the old CPR right of way.

The CPR station in Knowlton, circa 1909. The track from Sutton Junction to Knowlton Station was abandoned in 1962, followed by the line from Knowlton to Foster in 1977. (From Derek Booth’s Railways of Southern Quebec: Volume II, Railfare Enterprises 1985.)

Photo source: Brome County Historical Society

Who and what come next?

The land is zoned residential, which means single family dwellings, semi-detached homes and duplexes could be built. Without a change in zoning, apartment buildings and condos are prohibited. But there is an acquired right attached to the property that permits usage as a mill. Only a mill. No other commercial operation would be allowed.

At 2.2 acres, this is one of the largest pieces of developable land in the centre of Knowlton. And it falls on both sides of the road. At 101 Victoria is the feed mill and the property that goes back to the Coldbrook stream. The lot on the other side of the street, where Coderre’s warehouse sits (90 Victoria), is used for public parking and access to the walking path, thanks to the generous permission of Ross and Shelley. The town has the right of first refusal on this portion of the property.

It’s early days yet and little is being made public about future plans. Will the town exercise its option on 90 Victoria? Will Coderre’s continue as a feed mill? Will we see new residential development? Time will tell.