DBIA Expansion Opposed
By 250 News
Wednesday, November 05, 2008 04:02 AM
Map shows current DBIA area (inner box that skirts City Hall) and expansion area which excludes Parkwood but includes the Native Friendship Centre
Prince George B.C.- Plans to expand the Downtown Business Association are being met with more resistance than the President of the DBIA had indicated.
A meeting was held last night of property owners impacted by the expansion plan. None disagree with the benefits of a Downtown Business Association, however, the manner in which the expansion area was chosen and the method of getting it approved have struck a chord.
The DBIA’s mandate runs out at the end of this year. The Association opted to include an expansion plan in with its renewal request. 
In order for those who are in the new expansion area to avoid inclusion and a 1.7% levy added to their taxes, there will have to be registered opposition by 50% of the property owners representing 50% of the assessment value.
In order for those who are in the new expansion area to avoid inclusion and a 1.7% levy added to their taxes, there will have to be registered opposition by 50% of the property owners representing 50% of the assessment value. Although more than two dozen business owners who oppose the expansion attended last night’s meeting, Shari Green , the President of the DBIA had informed Council there were only two businesses that had registered opposition. Green was not able to attend last night’s session .
(at right, attendees listen to comments from Dirk Loedel)
Former DBIA President, Kirk Gable says the new boundary was drawn by the DBIA’s Board of Directors. The new boundary includes the west side of Victoria, travels south to 15th, and stops shy of including Parkwood Place. When asked if Parkwood was avoided because it has a very high assessment and its owner would have voted against being included and seeing an extra 1.7% added to its property taxes Gable said yes “Yes, that was part of the discussion.”
There was another move made by the DBIA that could be viewed as an effort to ensure the expansion was passed.
The DBIA’s mandate runs out at the end of this year. Because the Association opted to bundle its mandate renewal along with its expansion plan, property owners who are already members have a say. Had the two issues been separated, then only the property owners in the expansion area would have had a say.
So bundling the two means the property owners who have been paying into the DBIA for several years get to say if they want the expansion to happen. Gable also admitted that if this expansion had been separated from the renewal and dealt with on its own merits, “There would have been a bigger chance it would fail.”
For the Coast Inn of the North, the expansion will add $118 thousand to the tax bill over the next couple of years. For Ray Kandola, who owns several properties in the expansion area, the expansion will boost his taxes by $56 thousand dollars. For Roger Creuzot, owner of Gold’s Gym, it will add $15 thousand to his tax bill, “I feel like I’m being railroaded into this “said Creuzot. He held up a flyer from the recent “Let’s Get Started” rally in downtown and read out the line “Downtown belongs to everybody, well if it belongs to everybody, why isn’t everybody paying for it?”
Those who oppose the expansion have another couple of weeks to register their displeasure with the plan which is being approved through the reverse petition method.
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Posted by: Eagleone on November 5 2008 5:24 AM