Development fees hamper progress: Landry-Altmann

A request to waive development fees for areas of the city with established business improvement associations (BIA) did not sit well at all with Ward 11 Coun. Terry Kett.

Council approved a request from Ward 12 Coun. Joscelyne Landry-Altmann to have the city put together a report on financial implications involved with this decision. Landry-Altmann said the Downtown Sudbury BIA is exempt from having to pay development fees, and she is seeking a similar exemption for the Flour Mill.

Her request stems from an incident where an individual had demonstrated interest in purchasing the Park Hotel, but an $80,000 development fee drove away that person.
Kett called the idea of waiving development fees “tricky,” and said it is a way of avoiding charges and income to the city.

“If this is the way it will be, then I’m quickly going to get a BIA going for Minnow Lake,” he said. “There is an underdeveloped commercial area there that needs work. I would like this report to be broad enough to see what would happen to our reserves.”

He was adamant in his stance that waiving those fees would create problems for the the city.
“(The Flour Mill) is an older area and the buildings are being purchased,” Landry-Altmann said. “These are areas where property values are less than in other areas, and development fees are really jeopardizing what we’re trying to do, which is encouraging the reuse of these buildings.”

Waiving development fees for select locations of the Flour Mill is something Landry-Altmann has been working toward for the past two years, she said.

“These are all in very select locations that are amicable to future development. The Four Mill is an area that could very well offer more affordable housing.”

The Flour Mill BIA was established in 1983. BIAs are self-assessing associations with their own budgets and are recognized under the Municipal Act. Establishing a BIA shows commitment from a particular area, Landry-Altmann said. “If waiving developments for a particular area would help, then let’s look at it,” she said.

Posted by Vivian Scinto