City of Powell River councillors have received a downtown plan for information.
At the March 5 committee of the whole meeting, city manager of planning services Daniella Fergusson reviewed the land use feasibility study for city-owned lands performed by Parcel Economics to inform the downtown plan.
Fergusson said in November 2023, Parcel Economics appeared online and presented findings from the land feasibility study that is part of the downtown plan. She said staff was requesting that the report be received for information so the city can continue with the downtown planning process. She said the main consultants, PWL Partnership, can use this information to inform the recommendations and the downtown plan itself would come forward to a future council meeting for consideration.
“The Parcel Economics study is a land feasibility study, looking at current market conditions, and if development was to occur on the old arena site or the Westview wastewater treatment plant site, what might be feasible in the current economic conditions,” said Fergusson. “They did a highest and best land use analysis of two other sites as well, but the principal focus was the Westview wastewater treatment plant site and the old arena site.
“They found that current economic conditions would make it challenging to develop the site at this time but that doesn’t mean the city can’t get ready to consider development in the future if interest rates come down or building costs come down. The sites might be more feasible to develop in the future.”
Fergusson said the perspective that Parcel Economics was coming from was private sector development perspective, so they didn’t consider government subsidies that could make development more attractive.
City councillor Trina Isakson said when Parcel Economics attended a committee of the whole meeting previously, where interim findings were shared, a number of members of the community wanted to know if council was aware of a covenant on the land related to park use, specifically at the old arena site. Isakson said there was a concern the recommendations mean what the city will do, but she was hoping to share how this integrates into the downtown planning process and how any changes for use of that land might take place.
Fergusson said the process as a whole is that the downtown plan has had many components. She said archaeological studies have been conducted, a financial feasibility study has been conducted, and there has been site investigation for environmental contamination.
PWL Partnership is the consultant that is preparing the downtown plan, and they take all the information and think about what can be done to strengthen the downtown to make it even better than it is today, added Fergusson.
“They will be putting together a report for us to consider, which will have recommendations,” said Fergusson. “The first step is council would consider receiving or adopting the downtown plan in its entirety and then after that there might be recommendations in the plan itself. I don’t know what PWL will recommend that pertains to the old arena site or the Westview wastewater treatment plant site.
“With regard to the covenant, we have had legal opinions that said council can discharge that covenant at any time through council resolution.”
Councillor and committee chair Jim Palm said something he found interesting in the report was, based on current market conditions, the consultants saw a path forward for private condominiums erected on those sites. He said, however, he is happy to see staff members are considering all options.
Mayor Ron Woznow made a motion that the land use feasibility study for city-owned lands be received for information. The motion carried unanimously.
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