Kimberley Mayor Don McCormick hosted another Brown Bag Lunch at City Hall Wednesday. As always, he was joined by City CAO Scott Sommerville, and several interested citizens.
There was discussion on a number of different topics — the idea of the lunch being that if you have a question you’d like to ask, feel free.
One of the topics that came up, was the pending updating of the Official Community Plan. Part of that involves rezoning what is known as the Marysville bench lands on Jim Ogilvie Way from residential to light industrial. This area is currently a well-used recreation area, with walking trails and great views.
“We have no industrial land opportunities in Kimberley at all,” McCormick saId. “We have 12 acres in Marysville, which is owned by Tyee, and this bench, and that’s it.”
McCormick said that diversifying the tax base was the goal.
“Right now 84 per cent of millrate taxes are on the backs of residents. We have the highest millrate in the Kootenays. We are going to be uncompetitive unless we slow it down. We have to bring back some industrial taxes. When the mine was operating, industrial taxes were 52 per cent. Now they are zero. It’s about diversifying the tax base. To do that we need land.”
McCormick went on to say that Kimberley had a lot of recreation area.
“Fifty per cent of Kimberley is green space. We have hundreds of kilometres of trails spread through the city, lots of recreation area.
“The argument we’re hearing about the bench land is it’s got spectacular views, but business park areas can have nice views too.”
Somerville added that the OCP review was ongoing and would likely take another year to fully complete.
“In the end it’s a bylaw that requires tons of consultation.”
It was also pointed out that the land in question was brownfield, contaminated land, and as such it was difficult to get an environmental certificate to anything with it.
McCormick said that he did hear the concern about the trails in the bench area.
“We have no intention of doing away with the trails,” he said.
McCormick said that, great views or not, it was very unlikely a developer would think it a great spot for a residential development, given its location near the transfer station.
The City certainly would like to eventually use the old Teck lands on Jim Ogilvie Way and develop them into a commercial industrial park, but it will take many years to get the permitting on that. But again, that industrial area would not make the bench lands suitable for residential, he said.
“We need to develop that land into something, but it’s very early days. It will play itself out over the next six months. We’re trying to come up with something in the best interest of the whole community.
“All the Teck land on the other side of the road is brownfield, but it’s ten years down the road. In the long term we will hopefully get that land, but in the short term we need the bench land. That land has been going through the environmental process for over 10 years.”
He also wants to be sure people know that people may have an idea in their head when they hear ‘industrial’ that is not in keeping with what is planned.
“The term ‘industrial’ is an old term that conjures up smokestacks and cranes and dirt and noise. This is not what modern industry looks like.
“We are talking about a building where the owners want green space and outside lunch tables for their employees. The trails would stay; noise does not echo and there are no big lights to shine across Marysville. Given the need for setbacks in that area, I doubt you would even see the buildings from the neighborhood under the bench.”