Flex Area May be Part of OCP
By 250 News
Tuesday, April 19, 2011 03:51 AM
area bounded in black is the block which some councillors want to see as a "flex" area.
Prince George, B.C.- The call to have a stretch of 4th Avenue become a "flex" area that would allow for a mix of commercial, residential, and four storey buildings has been sent to the planning department for possible inclusion in the Official Community Plan..
Staff had returned a report which suggests a flex area would not be desireable. First , the report notes there is an abundance of commercial space available in the downtown which also has underutilized land. The report indicates expanding commercial availability may detract development from downtown.
Staff suggested the move to a "flex area" be put on hold until after the existing downtown capacity has been utilized.
Councillor Debora Munoz raised a concern about the infrastructure in the area saying she is under the understanding the water services and fire protection services are deficient in that area.
The whole issue came forward a couple of months ago when an applicant put forth a request for a four story building with commercial/office space on the main floor.
The staff report says "The resulting analysis has determined that the current policies would not support such a proposal.Furthermore, such a change has the potential to detract from downtown redevelopment by expanding commercial potential directly adjacent to downtown, when such expansion is not warranted by the current excess development capacity."
Councillor Dave Wilbur says the report doesn't seem to capture the intent, which was to develop an area which could have multi purpose and reduce the uncertainty about the area "What we have here is not a green light, not an amber light, it is a red light."
Councillor Murry Krause said his expectation from this report was to answer the question of what could we do to assist those who want to invest in the area.
The Mayor, Dan Rogers, says he thinks the report was a no brainer "It is a red light, specifically because this is exactly the kind of development we want downtown." He says a decision to say no to creation of a flex zone does not mean a developer couldn't apply for an ammendment to the Official Community Plan."
Councillor Cameron Stolz wanted the idea of a flex area included in the draft new OCP, that motion was passed with Councillors Murry Krause, Don Basserman Brian Skakun and the Mayor opposed.
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I think the proposal for a development like this could help build a nucleus of an area that could lead the way for the city... to shut it down because the downtown is a failure... is a lose-lose solution put forward by bureaucrats that are heavily invested with our tax dollars into their unaccountable loser dream vision.
Downtown PG is too close to the water table for any serious private investor to invest in a four story project of any kind. It negates underground parking, brings insurance implications, as well as compromised construction options (ie electrical above the flood plane). To say nothing of the prospects for the neighborhood.
Let the investors invest where they would like to invest (for projects like this one) and this city might have a chance at progress, but to always kill progress because bureaucrats have a dream for the downtown that is not viable holds this city back in a big way IMO.