New policy could raise $12M for amenities

by Dave Preston

Peachland council will be asked Tuesday to amend the Official Community Plan to allow for a new Amenity Contribution Policy that could see developers contribute $12 million over the next 20 years for community amenities.

The policy comes as a result of successful negotiations with Pincushion Ridge/Ponderosa developers Treegroup, which agreed to contribute $3.7 million over the life of its development. The Treegroup contribution is above and beyond development cost charges (DCCs) that are levied against developments.

DCCs are charged for such future improvements as roads, parks, sewer and a water treatment plant, but until negotiations were concluded with Treegroup, the municipality did not ask developers for contributions toward other amenities. In July, council asked staff to write up a formal policy that could be adopted. That policy will be before council Tuesday at its Committee of the Whole meeting.

To come up with an amount to charge under the policy, staff first had to come up with a list of possible future amenities that could be contrbuted to. The list includes:

• Community centre upgrade/renovations;
• Primary school rehabilitation;
• Multi-purpose arena;
• Continuing Centennial Way, the waterfront walkway, to Davis Cove;
• Future trail development;
• Museum improvements;
• New civic offices;
• A new fire hall.

Noticeably missing from the staff amenity list is any mention of a curling rink.

Staff is proposing that developments be charged $2,412.93 per residential unit and $3.33 per sq. ft. ($115.32 per sq. m.) for non-residential construction. In total over 20 years, the district would collect up to $15.5 million, minus $3.7 million already agreed to by Treegroup.

Inside a staff report on Tuesday’s agenda is a financial rationale for the proposed charges, which includes estimates for each item on the staff generated list of future amenities. The estimates include:

• $1.75 million for Community Center upgrades/renovations;
• $600,000 for Primary School rehabilitation;
• $6.6 million for a multi-purpose arena;
• $1.2 million for a waterfront walkway extension from 13th Street to Todd Road;
• $1.8 million to extend the walkway to Davis Cove;
• $1 million for trail development;
• $50,000 for upgrades to the museum;
• $3 million for a new fire hall;
• $2.5 million for new civic offices.

Staff based its calculations on estimated new construction to take place over the next 20 years. In total, staff estimates that 6,710 units will be built in Peachland, including:

• 2,310 units at Ponderosa/Pincushion Ridge;
• 2,700 units at New Monaco;
• 700 units in the Lower Princeton area;
• 800 units in a redeveloped downtown;
• 200 additional new unit applications.