S TANDARD TERRACE
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VOL. 26 NO. 51
www.terracestandard.com
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
City set to close on $1M land deal By JOSH MASSEY
THE CITY is on the verge of another major real estate deal to sell off land it owns. This time it’s a $1.025 million sale of 2.03 hectares on the northwest corner of Keith and Kenney on the southside to Onstein Bros. Holdings, the company which owns the city’s Chrysler and Toyota dealerships, a car rental agency and an RV sales business – all located on Hwy16 West. Rob Onstein said last week that the company needs more room and could eventually move its Toyota dealership to the new location. “We have been actively looking for property for some expansion,” said Onstein. “We’re just running out of space.” YaoRun, a forestry company specializing in export, is now occupying the location under a lease arrangement with the city
struck just over a year ago. Onstein said coming to an arrangement with YaoRun is on the ‘to do’ list as the sales deal with the city moves to a finish. “We’re committed, as is the city, to work with all stakeholders to make sure the transition is smooth and works for everyone.” It is uncertain at this point if the lease agreement YaoRun has with the city will be taken on by Onstein Holdings. YaoRun currently leases three parcels from the city totalling 20 acres along the 5000 Block of Keith and the amount of land the Onstein company is buying is one quarter of that at five acres (2.03 hecatres), which would leave YaoRun room to continue its operations. The parcel is zoned for light industrial use and a zoning amendment to commercial use would have to be done if a Toyota
dealership were to operate there. “If we were to build a Toyota dealership on that piece of property it’s going to change the nature of that area from an industrial nature to a commercial nature,” said Onstein, adding that he foresees an evolution of that section of Keith. “It’s close to downtown and we would hope to be the first of many commercial type [operations] and that makes it start looking better than it has been instead of a sad memory of what this town used to be.” That’s in reference to the property once being the log storage yard for a large sawmill just across the road from Kenney and Keith. The Skeena Cellulose mill, finished in 1988, was the city’s major employer until it went into bankruptcy in the early part of the last decade.
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Housing crunch to grow as population expands
MARGARET SPIERS PHOTO
■■ Just dance CASSIE BATJER lifts Theresa Moolman at the Pacific Northwest Music Festival March 28 at the REM Lee Theatre. The festival continues to take place at venues around Terrace. Both of these dancers are from Art in Motion and competed in the contemporary dance 17 and under division.
SOARING HOUSING costs, a spiking population with a growing number of seniors, older homes in need of repair—these are all challenges highlighted in a recent housing assessment conducted by Vancouver-based Thomson Consulting for the city. Based on the possibility of major economic development within the region, the 64-page report suggests the population could grow between 30 to 50 per cent by 2021. It also says the lack of low income housing will emerge as the most pressing concern combined with the threat that average earners might not be able to keep up with rising housing costs. “It’s really helpful to have some of the future projections,” said city councillor Stacey Tyers of the housing needs assessment.
“I think he [Matt Thomson] did a really good job at looking at possible growth projections instead of looking at the older data. Does it mean 50 per cent growth? No. But we need to brace for the worst case scenario.” Drafted over February and March, the assessment drew on data from 2011 National Housing Survey and Census and included updated numbers. It states that if the population continues to grow at the status quo rate based on 2006-2011 numbers that the population will increase by 2.6 percent by 2021, but that “it’s unlikely that the status quo scenario represents a realistic view of growth in the Greater Terrace Area.” Tyers thinks private home construction will ease the transition into a more densely popu-
lated Terrace for middle to high income earners, however that the assessment affirms the fact that the poor and disabled will feel the sting of high prices hardest. “I think we are already seeing an upswing in the market housing that in developmental permits and projects planned and stuff, which is great, and does help alleviate some stuff but there is always going to be the need for the affordable housing,” said Tyers. What she finds really striking is that if the population grows by 50 per cent, that based on projections of current available numbers 1,182 housing units including apartments and homes would be in unsuitable, unaffordable and/or inadequate for living in by 2021.
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Much better
Student squeeze
First bout
Program to help seniors live at home longer improves well-being \COMMUNITY A19
How post-secondary institutions are planning for a student housing shortage \NEWS A5
Northcoast Nightmares return from first tourney of the derby season \SPORTS A29