City of Powell River Council has referred an initiative to look at potential uses for city lands to the select committee on city-owned properties.
At the December 7 city council meeting, mayor Ron Woznow tabled a multi-part resolution to direct staff to return to council with a report recommending a plan to attract and inform potential development partners for a number of properties in the city’s land management strategy.
Woznow said when he was first elected, one of the first things identified was the importance of housing and economic development.
“It is no secret that we have one of the highest tax rates in the province,” said Woznow. “Like many other cities, we have a real need for a variety of housing. What makes Powell River unique is that we have more housing options, and more city land per capita, than any other city in the province.
Woznow alluded to a 25-year-old report that identified a number of opportunities to use city land.
“If half of these opportunities had been captured and moved forward, we would probably have a tax rate that would be in the top 25 per cent, rather than the top 100 per cent,” said Woznow. “In addition, there would be significant new businesses in Powell River, there would be increased employment opportunities, and there would be more facilities for people of all ages to enjoy what Powell River has to offer.”
Woznow said at a cost of $40,000, a consultant was hired, who did an excellent job of looking at all the 150 properties, with 25 being selected. In the consultant’s report, she was specific about the ones that could be developed immediately, others that were mid-term and the remainder that would take longer, according to Woznow. The report was tabled in 2021 and nothing was done, he added.
Woznow said an implementation plan was required, so he approached a group of talented, experienced residents and asked them to attend a meeting.
“They had excellent ideas on how we could let people know that we have all these properties and we were looking for development,” said Woznow. “It turns out that some members of council felt this was inappropriate and we needed to put a committee in place, so we put a committee in place.
“Unfortunately, the mandate of the committee was watered down and it was a duplication of what we got for $40,000 in 2021.”
Woznow said he has visited Port Alberni and Campbell River, and in Port Alberni he saw the significant impact on housing and economic development when council made decisions to take the land it had to create a range of housing, new job opportunities and to attract business.
“It’s time for council to decide whether or not we are going to be sitting here with nothing having been done, or do we want to sit here, in three years, and notice we’ve created 300 new housing options for people, and lowered the tax rate by 20 per cent,” said Woznow. “We can look at Port Alberni and other communities and see that the key is the ability to make a decision.”
Councillor George Doubt made a motion to refer the resolution to the committee for city-owned properties. He said the committee could look at it and bring back a recommendation to council.
Doubt said the city-owned land is an amazing asset and the city needs to be very careful about what it does with it. He said the more resident involvement, the better.
“We have a committee that has been in place for probably a year now that was appointed to do exactly that,” said Doubt. “I’d like to see it on the committee’s agenda.”
Woznow said having spoken with the chair of the committee and having sat on the committee, he was not supporting the motion.
Doubt’s motion carried, however.
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