Yeah, right...... This will never happen. The District will screw these guys over for years, until, like everything else attempted in this town, they finally give up in frustration. But, in the meantime "staff" will continue to create huge piles of bureaucratic paperwork, plans, schemes, projections,consultations and other time consuming mumbo-jumbo that keeps their snouts in the trough as they collect their overpriced salaries.
The first thing this developer is going to have to face is the development cost charges which pretty well doubles the cost just based on the number of units. this is the reality that every developer has to face. that's not screwing people around, those charges are designed to replace and/or build infrastructure related to the project in the future. the next thing to come up against is off-site servicing sewer water sidewalks etc. these are normal requirements that I'm not going to pay for. The developer is but in the case of some developers they would think that they are to be greeted as heroes and the townsfolk will pay for these things so the developer can make a lot of money. needless to say all these things take time and money and the district is to be commended for making sure that things are done right and not at the taxpayers expense to fix something later. and in thinking about the impact upon our water system it remains to be seen if there is sufficient water to grant one developer the rights to X number of gallons of water and perhaps another developer none. what also costs money is the preparation of plans, survey, engineering, development permits, zoning applications, subdivision applications etc. considering that this will be the largest development tofino have seen in a long timeI think we would all like to see something that reflects the spirit and design of tofino
"something that reflects the spirit and design of Tofino"...... How about you just shut the f**k up and let the people putting up the money that's going to pay for it all decide what "Tofino spirit and design" look like? As soon as someone tries to do anything in this place, there's a huge cry from the minions in the peanut gallery calling out for things to be the way that "they" think things should be. Lots to say, no cash to put into the project. Just shoot off your mouth, complicate everything, and cause more headaches for the people who are actually doing something. Tell us about your extensive experience in urban planning.
The by-law guy quit? There's a non-event. Easily replaced. Better yet, might be a good time to consider contracting out the job to the Corps of Commissionaires. Fire chief quit? That's unfortunate. Wonder what led to that? I'm guessing that our secretive council is keeping all this close to the vest. It's the taxpayers money at stake, but they don't have the right to know what it's being spent on, or how. In a few months, after everyone has a chance to cover their butts, we'll perhaps be told.....perhaps not. And the rest of 'em are all looking for big raises? Might be a good time to take the broom through the whole office.
Was surprised to find my rainwater collection gravity fed toilet tank's water level was only down about a foot of water when flushed as needed during last summer's drought. I had plenty of water being collected from just the dews and fogs. Water tanks everywhere might give the town a real Fort Mac look.
In answer to 12:30 Am. Development cost charges are a perfectly justifiable thing for a municipality to require, when done properly.....The problem here in Tofino is that they are being fraudulently required. Of the $18,000.00 plus that is required for a single family lot, approxiametly 1/2 is to go for a project that would increase the water supply capabilities of the Tofino system. This all makes sense because more development necessitates more water. The money collected is to be based on projects costed out and planned to be executed in a five year period. However the project that is identified in the Tofino Development Cost Charge Bylaw, that is used to justify this sum is getting water from Kennedy Lake. This was a highly speculative idea to begin with. The costs of achieving it are unknown. In fact folks there is no project, plan or schedule. But the District thought it best to take the money anyway. Then Mayor Fraser, when asked about this matter at the time the bylaw was passed, said in Council and was quoted in the press, admitting there was no real plan to get water from Kennedy Lake. Braden Smith, CAO at the time assured the public, again in Council, that the DCC bylaw would soon be ammended again, to reflect a more realistic and economical project to increase water supply, and that the DCC charge would drop. That was about 10 years ago.
Again this never happened folks
So I agree with Development cost charges when the need is real and the required projects are costed out and apportioned out and actually executed. When used properly, DCC's are development enabling.
However in this case Tofino has not followed through with any significant increase to water supply since this version of the bylaw was passed. Tofino continues to charge for projects that don't exist. This does not serve the community well. Tofino's Dccs are little more than theft. Supperficially from developers but really from the public trying to purchase a property here in "TUFF."
I am agreeing with you 8.57 am. Tofino talks affordable housing but in reality housing and land development is a big cash cow for the municipality. That one lot that you described as costing $18,000.00 plus in Dccs actually costs the developer/purchaser about $40-$45,000.00 in fees, permits, hookup charges, application fees, administrative fees, cash for parkland, Dcc.s and the like, before a new owner can put a shovel into the ground to commence construction. The variation occurs because some charges are flat fees others are percentage fees
In any event as the former building inspector/public works super explained to me....."Best not to think too much about it. It is just the cost of doing business in Tofino"
A 22% tax increase imposed over a five year period also flies in the face of "affordable housing ". The champions of "affordable housing" on council voted for this tax increase.
Ralph, I got the Tofino budget figures going back to 1998. I was told the figures before that time were unavailable because there was a problem with storage. So I went to old councillors and former Chairs of what used to be the Tofino Council Finance Committee and got reliable figures going back to the mid 90's. What I found is that budgets were relatively stable hovering around $650,000-$750,000 in the mid nineties and had climbed to approx. $950,000.00 buy 1998. Since that time things have continued to accelerated with current spending hitting $10,000,000. And still climbing. For general purposes, if a doubling represents 100% increase, then the last twenty years has seen well over a 1000% increase in municipal spending. This raises many issues in my mind. and I thought your readers would be interested...Cheers Jack
..........in the meantime "staff" will continue to create huge piles of bureaucratic paperwork, plans, schemes, projections,consultations and other time consuming mumbo-jumbo that keeps their snouts in the trough as they continue to collect their overpriced salaries. It's called.............. CORRUPTION.
Great to see so many people so knowledgeable about what it takes to try and develop and create housing in Tofino. Trying to get anything approved in Tofino is virtually impossible unless you have the zoning to do what you want. Even if you do get a rezoning approval the fees,DCC's cost of servicing etc..here in Tofino is astronomical.Now they want to introduce and an Amenity Contribution Guideline that that will require even more contributions and fees from the developer. Top on the Amenity wish list..... wait for it..... "affordable housing" !!?? Lets be clear. What Tofino needs first and foremost is not "affordable housing" for purchase but more apartment style secure monthly rental housing. Entry level monthly rental housing for young families and even seasonal workers... Le Fevre has been catering to Tofino's "affordable housing" to purchase market for years in Tofino. Arnet St Townhouses,Gibson's St Townhouses,Fred Tibbs.(80K) to buy and live in when built) The new Gateway Housing...Seems to me the "affordable Housing" to own in Tofino is being taken care of by the open market. Mayor and Council should focus on providing some of Tofino's land or enough developer incentives for more Apartment style monthly rental housing. In fact if i'm not mistaken the development plans as noted above seems to be proposing just that! A mix of monthly rental Housing and affordable to own housing....Hopefully they succeed!
6:59 PM suggests more apartment style monthly rental housing. Another contributor, on a different post, pointed out......"If I had some money that I was considering investing into real estate, the very LAST place I'd ever consider would be long term rental housing, especially in Tofino, especially to seasonal staff! I'd have to be a total idiot to ever think about such a thing! They move in, I get a half month's rent as "security", they party, they move in six "friends", four cats, and two huge dogs, they wreck the place, then they take off in October and don't pay the rent........ and I get screwed! Oh sure, I can file a complaint with Residential Tenancies...... and get a "judgement" ...... if I can ever find the guys again, and if they ever have any money, and if I can somehow manage to collect it.(Which ain't likely). Meanwhile, I've got $6,350.00 in damages to repair, cleaning costs, and carpets to replace, before I can rent the place again. No Thanks, let 'em rent a tent at Pooles. The pro-tenant/ anti-landlord stance of the Residential Tenancy Act, combined with high property values and extreme District of Tofino development fees pretty much kills any chance that we'll see any Apartment Housing being built in Tofino.
Here's an observation on Ralph's comment above, mentioning the 22% municipal tax increase... The landlord is limited, by law, to a maximum rental increase of 2.9% per year (14.5% over 5 years)..... However, the champions of affordable housing on district council see it fair to raise that landlord's property taxes by 22%! Affordable housing?? Never!! It ain't going to happen, not in this land of corruption and hidden agendas.
i think any landlord would be wise to have an onsite manager. As far as seasonal workers as opposed to long term renters it might make sense for a developer to dedicate some of the apts for seasonal only. In that case they would have the tenancy agreement with the employer. Attaching housing to employment and vice versa would be a good way to motivate the tenants to be more responsible and respectful. As far as Sin city it has come along way to the point i believe it is well managed and most tenants there probably appreciate and respect having an affordable home in Tofino. I'm sure it has it's challenges too but much better place to live that it was.
9:03 Mentions the advisability of having an onsite manager. Reminds me that our Vacation rental bylaws require either, the owner or a permanent tenant, to be onsite, living, at all vacation rental properties. The purpose was to provide some semblance of supervision and provide living accomadation for locals, Many Vacation rentals do not fulfill these requirements. Another pathetic lapse in enforcement and the loss of housing units. But counsel is all for housing....Won't mention any names but those at the highest levels ignore these bylaws for profits. No wonder there is no inforcement.....
Yeah, right...... This will never happen. The District will screw these guys over for years, until, like everything else attempted in this town, they finally give up in frustration. But, in the meantime "staff" will continue to create huge piles of bureaucratic paperwork, plans, schemes, projections,consultations and other time consuming mumbo-jumbo that keeps their snouts in the trough as they collect their overpriced salaries.
ReplyDeleteThe first thing this developer is going to have to face is the development cost charges which pretty well doubles the cost just based on the number of units. this is the reality that every developer has to face. that's not screwing people around, those charges are designed to replace and/or build infrastructure related to the project in the future.
ReplyDeletethe next thing to come up against is off-site servicing sewer water sidewalks etc. these are normal requirements that I'm not going to pay for.
The developer is but in the case of some developers they would think that they are to be greeted as heroes and the townsfolk will pay for these things so the developer can make a lot of money. needless to say all these things take time and money and the district is to be commended for making sure that things are done right and not at the taxpayers expense to fix something later. and in thinking about the impact upon our water system it remains to be seen if there is sufficient water to grant one developer the rights to X number of gallons of water and perhaps another developer none.
what also costs money is the preparation of plans, survey, engineering, development permits, zoning applications, subdivision applications etc.
considering that this will be the largest development tofino have seen in a long timeI think we would all like to see something that reflects the spirit and design of tofino
Fire Chief has also quit and other employees are demanding huge pay increases.
ReplyDelete"something that reflects the spirit and design of Tofino"...... How about you just shut the f**k up and let the people putting up the money that's going to pay for it all decide what "Tofino spirit and design" look like? As soon as someone tries to do anything in this place, there's a huge cry from the minions in the peanut gallery calling out for things to be the way that "they" think things should be. Lots to say, no cash to put into the project. Just shoot off your mouth, complicate everything, and cause more headaches for the people who are actually doing something. Tell us about your extensive experience in urban planning.
ReplyDeleteok....just put in a trailer park and skip the design panel, ocp guidelines, and most of the process.
ReplyDeletecheap easy...
Agree 4:26! "I think we would all like to see", it says above. Please leave me off the list of "all". It's not my business.
ReplyDeleteThe by-law guy quit? There's a non-event. Easily replaced. Better yet, might be a good time to consider contracting out the job to the Corps of Commissionaires.
ReplyDeleteFire chief quit? That's unfortunate. Wonder what led to that? I'm guessing that our secretive council is keeping all this close to the vest. It's the taxpayers money at stake, but they don't have the right to know what it's being spent on, or how. In a few months, after everyone has a chance to cover their butts, we'll perhaps be told.....perhaps not.
And the rest of 'em are all looking for big raises? Might be a good time to take the broom through the whole office.
I love the Fort Mac look.A step above the Shore and in keeping with the Tonquin Apartments look.
ReplyDeleteTime to expand our water reservoir .
ReplyDeleteWas surprised to find my rainwater collection gravity fed toilet tank's water level was only down about a foot of water when flushed as needed during last summer's drought. I had plenty of water being collected from just the dews and fogs.
ReplyDeleteWater tanks everywhere might give the town a real Fort Mac look.
Oil tanks ! Oops politically incorrect !
ReplyDeleteIn answer to 12:30 Am. Development cost charges are a perfectly justifiable thing for a municipality to require, when done properly.....The problem here in Tofino is that they are being fraudulently required. Of the $18,000.00 plus that is required for a single family lot, approxiametly 1/2 is to go for a project that would increase the water supply capabilities of the Tofino system. This all makes sense because more development necessitates more water. The money collected is to be based on projects costed out and planned to be executed in a five year period. However the project that is identified in the Tofino Development Cost Charge Bylaw, that is used to justify this sum is getting water from Kennedy Lake. This was a highly speculative idea to begin with. The costs of achieving it are unknown.
ReplyDeleteIn fact folks there is no project, plan or schedule. But the District thought it best to take the money anyway. Then Mayor Fraser, when asked about this matter at the time the bylaw was passed, said in Council and was quoted in the press, admitting there was no real plan to get water from Kennedy Lake. Braden Smith, CAO at the time assured the public, again in Council, that the DCC bylaw would soon be ammended again, to reflect a more realistic and economical project to increase water supply, and that the DCC charge would drop. That was about 10 years ago.
Again this never happened folks
So I agree with Development cost charges when the need is real and the required projects are costed out and apportioned out and actually executed. When used properly, DCC's are development enabling.
However in this case Tofino has not followed through with any significant increase to water supply since this version of the bylaw was passed. Tofino continues to charge for projects that don't exist. This does not serve the community well. Tofino's Dccs are little more than theft. Supperficially from developers but really from the public trying to purchase a property here in "TUFF."
I am agreeing with you 8.57 am. Tofino talks affordable housing but in reality housing and land development is a big cash cow for the municipality. That one lot that you described as costing $18,000.00 plus in Dccs actually costs the developer/purchaser about $40-$45,000.00 in fees, permits, hookup charges, application fees, administrative fees, cash for parkland, Dcc.s and the like, before a new owner can put a shovel into the ground to commence construction. The variation occurs because some charges are flat fees others are percentage fees
ReplyDeleteIn any event as the former building inspector/public works super explained to me....."Best not to think too much about it. It is just the cost of doing business in Tofino"
A 22% tax increase imposed over a five year period also flies in the face of "affordable housing ". The champions of "affordable housing" on council voted for this tax increase.
ReplyDeleteRalph, I got the Tofino budget figures going back to 1998. I was told the figures before that time were unavailable because there was a problem with storage. So I went to old councillors and former Chairs of what used to be the Tofino Council Finance Committee and got reliable figures going back to the mid 90's. What I found is that budgets were relatively stable hovering around $650,000-$750,000 in the mid nineties and had climbed to approx. $950,000.00 buy 1998. Since that time things have continued to accelerated with current spending hitting $10,000,000. And still climbing. For general purposes, if a doubling represents 100% increase, then the last twenty years has seen well over a 1000% increase in municipal spending. This raises many issues in my mind. and I thought your readers would be interested...Cheers Jack
ReplyDelete..........in the meantime "staff" will continue to create huge piles of bureaucratic paperwork, plans, schemes, projections,consultations and other time consuming mumbo-jumbo that keeps their snouts in the trough as they continue to collect their overpriced salaries.
ReplyDeleteIt's called.............. CORRUPTION.
Great to see so many people so knowledgeable about what it takes to try and develop and create housing in Tofino. Trying to get anything approved in Tofino is virtually impossible unless you have the zoning to do what you want. Even if you do get a rezoning approval the fees,DCC's cost of servicing etc..here in Tofino is astronomical.Now they want to introduce and an Amenity Contribution Guideline that that will require even more contributions and fees from the developer. Top on the Amenity wish list..... wait for it..... "affordable housing" !!??
ReplyDeleteLets be clear. What Tofino needs first and foremost is not "affordable housing" for purchase but more apartment style secure monthly rental housing. Entry level monthly rental housing for young families and even seasonal workers...
Le Fevre has been catering to Tofino's "affordable housing" to purchase market for years in Tofino. Arnet St Townhouses,Gibson's St Townhouses,Fred Tibbs.(80K) to buy and live in when built) The new Gateway Housing...Seems to me the "affordable Housing" to own in Tofino is being taken care of by the open market. Mayor and Council should focus on providing some of Tofino's land or enough developer incentives for more Apartment style monthly rental housing. In fact if i'm not mistaken the development plans as noted above seems to be proposing just that! A mix of monthly rental Housing and affordable to own housing....Hopefully they succeed!
Blanchette , Thicke and Baert will do with this proposal just what they did with the police station. They are bad news for the community
ReplyDelete6:59 PM suggests more apartment style monthly rental housing. Another contributor, on a different post, pointed out......"If I had some money that I was considering investing into real estate, the very LAST place I'd ever consider would be long term rental housing, especially in Tofino, especially to seasonal staff! I'd have to be a total idiot to ever think about such a thing! They move in, I get a half month's rent as "security", they party, they move in six "friends", four cats, and two huge dogs, they wreck the place, then they take off in October and don't pay the rent........ and I get screwed! Oh sure, I can file a complaint with Residential Tenancies...... and get a "judgement" ...... if I can ever find the guys again, and if they ever have any money, and if I can somehow manage to collect it.(Which ain't likely). Meanwhile, I've got $6,350.00 in damages to repair, cleaning costs, and carpets to replace, before I can rent the place again. No Thanks, let 'em rent a tent at Pooles. The pro-tenant/ anti-landlord stance of the Residential Tenancy Act, combined with high property values and extreme District of Tofino development fees pretty much kills any chance that we'll see any Apartment Housing being built in Tofino.
ReplyDeleteHere's an observation on Ralph's comment above, mentioning the 22% municipal tax increase... The landlord is limited, by law, to a maximum rental increase of 2.9% per year (14.5% over 5 years)..... However, the champions of affordable housing on district council see it fair to raise that landlord's property taxes by 22%! Affordable housing?? Never!! It ain't going to happen, not in this land of corruption and hidden agendas.
ReplyDeletei think any landlord would be wise to have an onsite manager. As far as seasonal workers as opposed to long term renters it might make sense for a developer to dedicate some of the apts for seasonal only. In that case they would have the tenancy agreement with the employer. Attaching housing to employment and vice versa would be a good way to motivate the tenants to be more responsible and respectful.
ReplyDeleteAs far as Sin city it has come along way to the point i believe it is well managed and most tenants there probably appreciate and respect having an affordable home in Tofino. I'm sure it has it's challenges too but much better place to live that it was.
9:03 Mentions the advisability of having an onsite manager. Reminds me that our Vacation rental bylaws require either, the owner or a permanent tenant, to be onsite, living, at all vacation rental properties. The purpose was to provide some semblance of supervision and provide living accomadation for locals, Many Vacation rentals do not fulfill these requirements. Another pathetic lapse in enforcement and the loss of housing units. But counsel is all for housing....Won't mention any names but those at the highest levels ignore these bylaws for profits. No wonder there is no inforcement.....
ReplyDelete