City of Cranbrook council last night (May 28) opted to kick open the door on its Development Cost Charge (DCC) bylaw.

Despite not all members of council being comfortable with the recommendations contained in Development Cost Charge Bylaw 3740, council chose to pass its first reading in order to get the matter before the public.

Considering six guiding principles for best practices, including: integration, benefiter pays, fairness and equity, accountability, certainty and consultative input, city chief engineer Jamie Hodge’s recommendations and draft bylaw includes DCC assist factor/increases that will roughly double the current rate for residential housing, while commercial buildings will only see a less than $7 increase. Industrial DCCs will increase, if the bylaw is passed, by more than double the current rate per hectare and institutional rates would rise by a shade more than $5 per square metre.

“DCCs are collected from land developers, at the subdivision or building permit stage, to offset some of the infrastructure expenditures incurred to service the needs of new development. The concept of DCCs involves a ‘user pay’ philosophy in which new development pays a portion of the funding for future capital works projects needed as a result of new growth,” Hodge reported to council.

Surprise changes in the city’s required funds for waste water and water service, to the tune of $36 million over the next few years, helped city staff keep the rates lower, said Mayor Wayne Stetski.

“The net results – it is just over double our current rate (for residential DCCs),” he said, explaining that council wanted to ensure that development pays for itself “while at the same time trying not to discourage industrial and commercial development in Cranbrook.”

By passing the first reading council now allows the city to embark on public/stakeholder participation and consultation exercises, Hodge said.

“In our community, stakeholders include the Real Estate Association, local private sector developers, public sector developers such as the school district or health board, Chamber of Commerce and general public. A round table workshop with real estate, Chamber of Commerce, local developers (CABBDA) was held on April 26 and follow up meetings were held with CABBDA representatives to review and discuss concerns raised at the workshop. A public open house is scheduled to be held in June after council gives the proposed DCC bylaw first reading,” he outlined.

Coun. Sharon Cross was the lone councilor to vote against the first reading.

“As a municipality I don’t think we are alone from other municipalities” in that development should not be a cost burden on taxpayers, she said, adding she’d like to see more forward thinking in the document.

Coun. Angus Davis said by passing the first reading, “this gets us going.”

For the full report to council go to: https://cranbrook.civicweb.net/Documents/DocumentList.aspx?ID=2328

Ian Cobb/e-KNOW

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