INNISFAIL – The town has extended an olive branch to frustrated business owners in West Gate Industrial Park who are battling a crime wave and facing a newly amended Landscape Bylaw they feel doesn’t make sense.
Following a council discussion at an Agenda & Priorities Meeting on Jan. 2, administration was directed to set up a meeting with the newly-formed West Gate Industrial Park Association to provide an explanation of the Landscaping Bylaw review process that was started in 2016 by a Municipal Planning Commission (MPC) steering committee and approved by council last summer. Council’s direction was expected to be formally ratified at its Jan. 8 regular meeting.
"Staff will be meeting with the committee and we will review the process and why we are in this current condition and the direction that has been given,” said Todd Becker, the town’s chief administrative officer. He said the town will make contact with the association right away.
The new provisions in the amended bylaw include giving industrial park property owners the option of completing onsite landscaping as directed by the bylaw, or the MPC preferred option of voluntarily paying cash in lieu of completing the landscaping requirements.
The cash in lieu is a voluntary charge per each development paid to the town at the time of the development permit. To provide an incentive for this preferred option MPC recommended the rates be competitive or even lower than the cost to individually landscape the site. The town would then use the money to implement a neighbourhood landscaping plan along the boundary of the industrial park on 42nd Street, 61st Avenue and Highway 54.
Marc Seabrook, president of the industrial park association, said while park businesses want to hear what town officials are proposing they also want a plan that "makes sense.”
"If we can work with them to make it make sense then let’s go ahead and do that. But they just can’t say ‘this is what you have to do’ because you are going to get guys who will refuse,” he said last week, adding association members do not want a policy that will deter business expansion or scare away business. "They (town) have not paved our streets. They have not put lights in and we do not have curbs. We have multiple issues and we have all paid property taxes for several years.”
However, he said the main focus for the association remains security. The crime wave hitting the park is still continuing, with a recent break and enter in the yard of one property during the recent holiday season.
"We have to stop this crime problem. If we can’t stop the crime nobody is going to be in business anyway. It won’t matter,” said Seabrook, who hinted there may be a glimmer of hope that direct talks with the town might yield some positive results.
"I am all in favour of working with them. I want to hear their side of the whole thing too. Maybe they are going to be reasonable.”
Mayor Jim Romane said he wants to personally talk to park business owners as there are other issues that need to be discussed, including lighting and security.
However, he added the bylaw is now in place and business owners can go through an individual appeal process. He noted a recent business owner appeal to MPC was successful for a renegotiation of landscaping requirements on his property.
"I want to sit down and talk to them. I intend to sit in on that meeting and listen to their concerns and see if there are portions of it we can massage and accommodate, things like security and everything else,” said Romane.
Coun. Jean Barclay said at the Jan. 2 meeting she’s hoping further discussions with the park owners will finally put the issue to rest.
"I said the other night and made the motion of ‘let’s sit down face to face’ and meet with this group and let’s figure things out,” she said. "I think it is imperative, and we all talked about community engagement, that we sit down with that group and find out what would make everyone happy. That is the way you move things forward.
"Many of those businesses have been here for years,” she added. "They are not trying to get out of doing anything, but they want it to be reasonable and fair.”
Coun. Jean Barclay
"I said the other night and made the motion of 'let's sit down face to face' and meet with this group and let's figure things out. They are not trying to get out of doing anything, but they want it to be reasonable and fair."
