Revelstoke Times Review, January 29, 2014

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BED & BREAKFAST RULE CHANGE City proposed expanding B&B zones, allowing more rooms - 5

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Weds., January 29, 2014 www.revelstoketimesreview.com Vol. 117, No. 5

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TIMESReview

New Revelstoke hostel opens - 8

$1.25

PM40050491

Revite tax exemption bylaw gets flat response

Spirit Fest cliffhanger

Aaron Orlando

editor@revelstoketimesreview.com

City hall staff have given a proposed Revelstoke revitalization tax exemption bylaw a very tepid response, sending city council a report on the proposed bylaw that states why it’s not a good idea. The proposed revitalization bylaw would give limited, temporary tax breaks to commercial property owners who improve their properties, or develop new ones. The idea is to offset the additional taxes property owners must pay because the improvements boost their property assessments, and therefore their taxes. The discussion was prompted by request to council by Mt. Begbie Brewing Co. president Bart Larson, who is planning to build a new brewery, but says taxation levels in Revelstoke are prohibitive. Larson asked council to take action to reduce commercial property tax rates. Council requested staff explore options, and the revitalization tax exemption bylaw was proposed. The bylaw is allowed for under provincial regulations. However, a Jan. 21 report signed by staff from the finance, development services and economic development offices lists downsides. First, they say the bylaw is typically geographically focused, designed

Members of B.C. dance troupe Aeriosa Dance Society perform their unique rope and harness-based dance on the Stawamus Chief near Squamish B.C. Aeriosa will put on a week-long dance residency based around the Revelstoke Performing Arts Centre from Feb. 1–8. To learn more about the Spirit Fest 2014 feature event, see our story on page 9. For Spirit Fest 2014 event listings, see the Times Review Community Calendar on page 11. Jason Kruk photo

Revitalization bylaw, page 3

City takes alternate route on transportation plan

Report dismisses transportation plan as costly adventure based on unrealistic population numbers. It recommends cherry-picking good parts, then shelving transportation plan in favour of asset management plan – the city’s new plan focusing on life-cycle costs. Aaron Orlando

editor@revelstoketimesreview.com

Ever been up for a job review? When they start out by listing positives through forced smiles, you know it’s going to be a bad one. The City of Revelstoke’s engineering and development services director Mike Thomas has delivered his analysis on the city’s draft Master Transportation Plan. Although Thomas’s wording is more polite, the report more-orless says the transportation plan is a costly, pie-in-the-sky plan based on unrealistic population increase forecasts, and that the plan had limited stakeholder input.

Thomas’s Jan. 20 report to council summarizes his review of the Boulevard Transportation Group plan, which was begun in 2009 and received by city council in September, 2012. It points out a few positives – like mapping work, alternative transportation planning, and some projects already in development stages – but the main thrust is criticism. It says the 25-year population projection of 19,250 is higher than the official community plan projection of 16,380. The 50-year projection was set at 27,250, or almost four times the current Revelstoke population. “As a result, many of the proj-

ects identified as priorities are considered ambitious in the current economic and growth situation,” Thomas writes. A transportation network for a town four times the size of Revelstoke is costly. Thomas points out the cost for projects listed as ‘high priority’ ranges between $15–$40 million, and would tag on hundreds of thousands in annual operating and maintenance costs. The cost for all the projects in the plan is much more: “The total costs including the low priority projects are estimated to be up to $100,000,000 in capital and $700,000 in annual operating and maintenance costs.”

The review said public input and engagement wasn’t sufficient: “Stakeholder/public input into the capital projects identified in the DRAFT Master Transportation Plan was limited, and only involved those in attendance at the stakeholder meeting second public open house who completed surveys.” Thomas makes two recommendations to council. He advises council update the Transportation Master Plan then shelve it as a reference document. He recommends “updating population projections, traffic data and project priorities for including in the consideration of the 2015–2019 Financial Plan.” His second recommendation is to fold the transportation plan into the city’s “asset management system.” This is an important new distinction. Since arriving at city hall, Thomas has several times discussed

the city’s need to develop a system for managing its existing assets, and for factoring in long-term, lifecycle costs into city decision making. Thomas is set to unveil his new asset management system at council’s Jan. 28 meeting. Thomas’s analysis of the draft transportation plan criticizes the transportation plan for not factoring in upkeep of the existing transportation network. “The projects identified in the plan and estimated costs in this report do not include repair and rehabilitation of the existing transportation assets necessary to address the infrastructure deficit within the city,” Thomas writes. “These infrastructure needs and associated costs will be addressed in the city’s asset management plan.” So, what transportation improvements are in the works right now?

Tranportation plan, page 3

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