Council discusses adding brownfields, cutting 50% rental requirement from revite rules

NEWS/ CITY HALL — Brownfield sites may soon be eligible for tax breaks under the City’s revitalization incentives and residential-rental requirements could also be relaxed under the same bylaws.

At a workshop today, City council made no formal decisions on the bylaws but several councillors favoured moving in that direction.

Under the bylaws, incentives are offered to developers for projects within specified areas that increase density, affordable housing, or include green design or mixed uses .

One requirement for taking advantage of the revitalization tax breaks in the downtown core is that new residential improvements include half the space dedicated to rental accommodation.

The Kamloops Central BIA and some developers want the 50-per-cent rule changed and consensus around the council table was in agreement.

“Obviously the 50 per cent rental hasn’t had the desired effect and it’s been in for awhile now,” said Mayor Peter Milobar.

He said the intention of amending the bylaw to add the residential rule in 2009 was to encourage new rental units downtown but that hasn’t happened.

Coun. Ken Christian was less anxious to throw out the rental requirement just because there haven’t been any applications.

Some older people would rather phase out of ownership and rent, and some younger people can’t afford to own, he said, suggesting TRU students might be good candidates to rent downtown.

“We should wait to see what that shift will look like.”

But Coun. Tina Lange said there simply isn’t a business case for building new rental units on top of retail space because downtown property is too expensive and residential rent would have to be very high.

“You can’t dictate that market.”

Coun. Donovan Cavers wanted to see some encouragement for rentals. “I wouldn’t be in favour of completely abolishing the requirement of rentals but would like to see it not so onerous.”

While the rental requirements haven’t brought any new applications, the addition of hotels to the list has brought the Sandman Signature Hotel and redevelopment of the Double Tree by Hilton and Hotel 540.

Adding brownfields to the list of properties eligible under the bylaw found general favour.

“There are a number of vacant and/or underutilized brownfield (contaminated) sites within the City centre and North Shore tax revitalization tax exemption areas, including a former dry leaning operation and decommissioned gas stations,” said the report.