LETTER – Caution needed on data centres and more industrial parks

Another light industrial zoning, do we really need another light industrial rezoning in Kamloops?

Last month it was a rezoning application at the airport which included a Revitalization Tax Exemption (RTE otherwise know as city subsidy) to the airport lands.  Last year we saw the beginning of development of the 190 acre Iron Mask Industrial Park.  Last week a rezoning application was greenlit across the highway with the 90 acre Kenna Village rezoning application and this week all nine members of council will be continuing their full court press on the Ministry of Highways to get the go-ahead to build a new Red Bridge which leads from Kamloops to, you guessed it, another industrial park.

I feel like I’m watching Oprah, “You get an industrial park and you get an industrial park and you get an industrial park, everybody gets an industrial park”!    Only problem is, where are the industries coming from to fill these parks?

Call me a pessimist but I wasn’t brought up in a land of unicorns and pixie dust.  Can someone please show me a business plan before we make a decision on another major development?

Yes, I know we didn’t have a detailed business plans to study before we jumped in with both feet for either the PAC or the Multiplex and they’ve been wildly popular projects thus far.  But I gotta believe continuing our roll of making snap decisions is going to end badly sooner or later, says the author whilst eyes rolling deep into his cerebellum.

But can we be honest for a moment, this new project is a Data Centre project cloaked in a mixed use disguise.  We’re told the project includes up to 900 residential units, but we’re also told that the data centre, excuse me, the light industrial component will be built first with the housing to follow.  But if the data centre isn’t built there’s no assurance that the industrial park or even the residential component will follow.

Moreover, council has spent a considerable amount of time bickering and debating but mostly bickering about whether to ask for federal government for further guidance on data centre issues.  Council has gone as far as issuing orders for administration to come up with an independent policy.

Since council is looking for greater direction, wouldn’t the prudent thing to do be to wait for both the admin’s report and further guidance from Ottawa before giving this Data Centre, I mean mixed use industrial park, the green light?

MAC GORDON