Agenda Index City of Vancouver

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

TO:

Standing Committee on Planning and Environment

FROM:

Director of City Plans

SUBJECT:

Approval of Council Initiative - Proposed Kitsilano Fourth Avenue BIA

RECOMMENDATION

GENERAL MANAGER’S COMMENTS

COUNCIL POLICY

Section 456 of the Vancouver Charter gives Council the authority to create a Business Improvement Area (BIA). Council may grant money to a BIA for planning and implementation of business promotion schemes provided that the money is recovered through a special property tax.
Council policy with respect to the establishment of a BIA was approved on October 14, 1997 as follows:

A BIA may be established by Council Initiative; property owners and commercial tenants receive notification of the Initiative, and the BIA will not proceed if one-third or more of the owners representing one-third of the assessed property value, or one-third of the tenants, counted separately, are in opposition.

PURPOSE

The Kitsilano Chamber of Commerce (KCC) has completed the first step in the process of establishing a new Business Improvement Area (BIA). The purpose of this report is to commence the second step, which is to approve the KCC as sponsor of, and to commence a Council Initiative for, the proposed Kitsilano Fourth Avenue BIA, and to forward the BIA application to the Court of Revision.

BACKGROUND

The Kitsilano Chamber of Commerce (KCC) was first incorporated in 1934, being probably the oldest neighbourhood business association in the city. Over the years, the KCC has initiated or sponsored well-known projects such as the Kitsilano Showboat (1936), the Broadway West beautification (1976), and the ‘Welcome to Kitsilano’ sign at Burrard and Cornwall (1998). The KCC continues to organize promotional events such as the annual ‘Kits Days’ festival, featuring the Soapbox Derby on Fourth Avenue. The KCC also plays an advocacy role on traffic, parking, development, taxation and other issues of importance to the business community.

The KCC defines its mandate as working for the benefit of all Kitsilano businesses and the Kitsilano community as a whole. Geographically, this mandate stretches from Kitsilano beach to 16th Avenue, and from Highbury to Granville. The Chamber wants to continue to serve the broader Kitsilano community, while at the same time spawning independent local business improvement associations, affiliated with the Chamber, but focussed primarily on the needs of their particular business districts.

There is currently no business organization specifically serving West Fourth Avenue. In 1996 a group of merchants organised the Fourth Avenue Business Association, but that Association was short-lived and has been inactive since 1998. Some former members of the Association are members of the current Fourth Avenue BIA Committee.

In June 1998, the Kitsilano Chamber of Commerce approached the City’s BIA Coordinator, who made a presentation to KCC members in October of that year. In September 1999, the KCC informed the City of its intention to sponsor a BIA application for West Fourth Avenue. They see a BIA as helping to maintain and enhance Fourth Avenue’s character as an attractive and interesting place to live, work and shop, and as a means of addressing specific issues such as graffiti, litter, and parking.

The KCC does not intend to manage the proposed BIA, and is currently in the process of incorporating a new society (the ‘Kitsilano Chamber of Commerce Fourth Avenue Business Improvement Association’) to govern the BIA.

DISCUSSION

The proposed Kitsilano Fourth Avenue BIA comprises the 8 blocks of West Fourth Avenue between Balsam Street, on the west, and Fir Street, on the east. A map of the proposed boundary is attached as Appendix A.

The KCC proposes a Year 1 budget of $100,000.00, representing an annual levy rate of $0.71 per $1,000.00 of assessed property value. A copy of the proposed budget is attached for information as Appendix B.

Outreach Activities

Since November 1999, the Kitsilano Fourth Avenue BIA Committee has been actively working toward the present BIA application. In February of this year, the Committee began conducting outreach activities to commercial tenants and property owners, publicizing the BIA proposal through letters, flyers, public information meetings, newsletters and an information booth at the ‘Kitsilano Days’ Soapbox Derby. The proposed BIA was also the subject of articles in the January 12, and April 12, 2000 issues of the Vancouver Courier. As part of their outreach, the BIA Committee distributed to each property owner an individualized City-generated statement showing their contribution under the proposed budget. Finally, a survey, distributed in early September, asked recipients to indicate whether or not they supported the BIA proposal. The Committee received back 80 completed survey forms. Based on the survey responses and their general outreach, the Committee believes the BIA proposal is generally supported.

The Kitsilano Chamber of Commerce formally applied to the City for consideration of a BIA on November 25, 2000. A copy of their application letter and documentation of their outreach activities is attached as Appendix C (limited distribution - on file in the Office of the City Clerk).

Staff Comments - Outreach and Support

Staff are satisfied that the Kitsilano Chamber of Commerce has notified all property owners and tenants within the proposed BIA boundaries. Staff attended two of three public information meetings held in April and September 2000, at the Russian Hall and Vancouver Museum, at which approximately 75 people were in attendance (in total). Accounting for Committee members, some of whom attended several meetings, at least 60 non-members attended. Participants at the meetings seemed generally supportive. In a show of hands at the end of each meeting, there were no indications of opposition.

The KCC is one of three BIA applicants who have voluntarily distributed personalized City-generated statements informing property owners of their likely BIA contribution. The result is that the commercial landlords and their tenants knew the exact individual cost of the BIA proposal much earlier than in previous years and were more likely to complete and return surveys distributed by the BIA applicants. In the present case, the KCC survey form was sent to the owners of 161 properties and approximately 325 business tenants within the proposed BIA, a total of about 485 recipients. As the Committee received completed surveys back from a total of 80 respondents (16.5% of total), the overall response rate is relatively good. 61 responses (76.3%) indicated support; 19 responses (23.8%) indicated opposition. The surveys do not distinguish property owners from businesses. Based on the overall results, there appears to be moderate opposition to the BIA at this stage in the process.

At the instruction of staff, the KCC notices contained the name and telephone number of the City’s BIA Coordinator. As of the date of this report, the Coordinator has received no letters of opposition and one telephone call indicating opposition to the BIA.

CONCLUSION

The Kitsilano Chamber of Commerce is requesting that Council consider approval of the proposed Kitsilano Fourth Avenue BIA, and has asked that their application be forwarded by way of Council Initiative, to a Court of Revision, in order that the BIA may commence operations in April 2001. The results of the BIA Committee’s extensive outreach activities indicate moderate opposition at this stage in the process. If approved, the BIA would be governed and managed by an independent non-profit society to be incorporated no later than February, 2001.

NOTE FROM CLERK: Electronic copy of Appendices A-C is not available - on file in the Office of the City Clerk.

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