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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPSD-004-17Planning Services Report If this information is required in an alternate accessible format, please contact the Municipal Clerk at 905-623-3379 ext. 2102. Report To: Planning and Development Committee Date of Meeting: January 9, 2017 Report Number: PSD-004-17 Resolution: File Numbers: PLN 37.1.1, 37.2.1, 37.3.1, 37.4.1 By-law Number: N/A Report Subject: Community Improvement Annual Report for 2016 Recommendations: 1.That Report PSD-004-17 be received for information; and 2.That all interested parties listed in Report PSD-004-17 and any delegations be advised of this information report. Municipality of Clarington Report PSD-004-17 Page 2 Report Overview The Bowmanville, Orono, and Newcastle grant programs under the Community Improvement Plans continue to be effective incentives for renewal of the downtowns. The Courtice Community Improvement Plan was adopted by Council in 2016 as a tool to help intensify and encourage high quality development along Highway 2 in Courtice. The Municipality has contributed $892,000 to community improvement grants and projects in the four urban areas over the past 12 years. In 2016 the grant funding for Newcastle and Orono was fully committed. Bowmanville has funds remaining from the 2016 budget that will be carried over. There continues to be a concern amongst the Community Improvement Plan liaison groups regarding accessibility of older buildings and the costs of providing accessible services. This and other items will be addressed in 2017 as part of reviewing and updating the Orono, Newcastle and Bowmanville Community Improvement Plans that was initiated in 2016. 1. Background Council adopted Community Improvement Plans for Bowmanville and Orono in 2005 and Newcastle in 2008. The Courtice Community Improvement Plan was developed and adopted by Council in 2016; however, funding had been provided for the past eight years for civic space (streetscape) improvements. The Community Improvement Plans allow the Municipality to provide incentives to business and property owners within a specific geographical area and specific grant programs in each urban area according to its Plan. The Orono, Newcastle and Bowmanville plans focus on grants for existing buildings and enhancing the downtown streetscape. The Courtice plan focuses on grants that will encourage development and redevelopment of a Regional Corridor, Highway 2. The business and property owners of the different Community Improvement Plan areas are notified via the municipal website, pre-consultations, counter inquiries and through word of mouth of the Community Improvement Plan programs. The three historic downtown Community Improvement Plans (Orono, Newcastle and Bowmanville) have liaison groups which meet on a quarterly basis. The liaison groups are apprised of any issues arising in the area and assist staff in spreading the word about the grant programs. The liaison groups provide feedback to staff on the effectiveness of the current grant programs and identify issues and concerns of business and property owners that have used or are looking to use the grant programs. The liaison groups will be a assisting with the review and updating of the Community Improvement Plans. This work began in 2016. Municipality of Clarington Report PSD-004-17 Page 3 2. Community Improvement Initiatives 2.1. Grant Program The general grant program rules are applicable to all three historic downtown Community Improvement Plans. The grants have been specifically tailored to each downtown, and include heritage façade improvements, building code improvement, etc. The tailored approach was to meet the specific opportunities and challenges of the different downtown areas. Grant funds are committed at the outset of a project and typically carry over to a subsequent year while the work is being completed. Grants are not released until the works are completed, inspected, the contractor paid and permits finalized. To be eligible, property owners must be current with their property tax payments. The recently approved Courtice Community Improvement Plan has unique program rules and requirements that are different from the other plans due to the different focus and intent of the Community Improvement Plan. Grant funds will be committed at the outset of a project and funds will be paid out after completion of projects to ensure project performance meets the preconstruction submission. The Tax Increment Grants will paid out over a 10 year time frame. 2.2. Community Improvement Plan Activity for 2016 Details of 2016 Activity can be found in Attachment 1, below is a brief summary. Orono – three applications were received in 2016 and have been completed. All funding for 2016 was earmarked including limited funds remaining from previous years. Currently, there is approximately $4,000 remaining to carry over. Bowmanville – No applications were received in 2016; however, staff have had multiple discussions with possible applicants. A number of issues discussed later in section 2.5 of this report outline some of the reasons for a reduction in applications for Bowmanville in 2016. W ork is continuing on projects which received funding in previous years. Funds from previous years, approximately $100,000, will be carried over. Newcastle – Two applications were received in 2016. All funding has been earmarked for this and previous years, some grants have yet to have the work completed and paid out. 2.3. Community Improvement Funding To date the Municipality has provided funding of $836,000 for grants in the three downtowns. Community Improvement Plan grant monies are matched by the property owners or merchants on a 3:1 or 2:1 basis depending on the grant. Some construction projects greatly exceed this ratio. Direct public benefit is realized from the increased municipal and private investments in the form of signage, building code upgrades (for example - accessibility) and façade improvements for aging buildings in our central business areas. In many cases the grants are a minor portion of the overall redevelopment and or reconstruction plan worth many thousands of dollars. It is conservatively estimated that the impact of providing grants to date has spurred well over $3.2 million in investment. Municipality of Clarington Report PSD-004-17 Page 4 The Courtice Community Improvement Plan will result in much higher grant amounts because of the focus on prompting significant private investment. Grants will be provided for new development and redevelopment for multi-million dollar projects which will provide for new property assessment. The tax increment grants are related to assessment value increases that the Municipality will forego, the development charge grants will be budgeted for in the 2017 and subsequent year capital budgets. 2.4. Community Improvement Program Renewal 2016 was the eleventh year of the Bowmanville and Orono Community Improvement Plans. Newcastle is in its ninth year. These Plans did not include sunset clauses; best management practices suggest reviews are warranted on five and ten year anniversaries. The community liaison groups have already identified a number of concerns such as accessibility, upgrading of residential rental accommodation and tenant interests that are not specifically addressed as part of the current grant programs. With the Courtice plan adoption and its focus on different incentive funding, it is appropriate, to review the older plans and grant programs to determine if there are modifications that could be made to refocus the improvements. 2.4.1 Accessibility is an area of concern that the Community Improvement Plan liaison groups have identified to staff in the past three years. There is a growing concern amongst business and property owners regarding accessibility requirements and the physical works required to make existing buildings accessible. Many of the individual businesses have limited square footage in which they operate and are not currently accessible. With the implementation of accessibility legislation and a desire to allow all patrons to have entry into downtown businesses, merchants are looking for assistance. There is a concern that alterations are cost prohibitive or eliminate valuable floor space. Currently, these types of costs are considered under the Building Code CIP grants; however the building code grant is not specifically targeted to accessibility projects and has had limited yet successful uptake for accessibility purposes. It is anticipated that there will be more demand for accessibility projects and related grants in all of the downtowns in the coming years. The liaison groups have expressed the need for additional funding for this type of project and suggested a grant specifically targeted to accessibility projects. In addition, merchants are interested in receiving assistance to determine how to make the necessary accommodations. 2.4.2 Ensuring the second story residential units are upgraded is another concern. The liaison groups are concerned that the vibrancy of the historic downtowns could be enhanced with upgrades and to the rental accommodation over the storefronts. 2.4.3 Many tenants have expressed interest in upgrading their spaces but are not willing to do so without financial assistance from the property owner. Further, the current programs don’t target their specific needs. The idea of having more tenant geared grants has been identified by the liaison groups. Municipality of Clarington Report PSD-004-17 Page 5 Grants were designed to be a one-time opportunity for property owners. The Community Improvement Plans range between 9 to 11 years old and some property owners who utilized the programs at the outset have expressed a desire for additional projects but can’t access funding due to the grant program rules. This is also an issue that staff are reviewing. As part of Planning Services work program for 2017 staff will continue the review of the three downtown plans, including looking to other municipalities and using the information collected by the Clarington Board of Trade through the Business Retention and Expansion Study. As a result of these tasks, modifications may be recommended in 2017 for the existing Community Improvement Plans and grant programs. 3. Concurrence Not Applicable 4. Conclusion There continues to be a good response to the grant programs in Newcastle and Orono and there continues to be a strong interest in the program in Bowmanville. There is ongoing demand for grants especially in Newcastle with funding often allocated by the first half of the year. Within Bowmanville there is interest in the program by tenants. However utilizing the program has challenges. There is a growing concern over changes that property owners or merchants will have to make in the coming years to provide more accessible buildings. Review of the three existing community improvement plans will continue in 2017 to determine what modifications can be made to increase the effectiveness of the grants and programs. Staff will continue to monitor the effectiveness of the program and make recommendations for changes. 5. Strategic Plan Application The recommendations contained in this report conform to the Strategic Plan’s priority to “Facilitate the creation of jobs, attraction of new businesses and expansion of existing businesses”. Municipality of Clarington Report PSD-004-17 Page 6 Submitted by: Reviewed by: David J. Crome, MCIP, RPP Curry Clifford, MPA, CMO Director of Planning Services Chief Administrative Officer Staff Contact: Brandon Weiler, Planner, 905-623-3379 ext. 2424 or bweiler@clarington.net Attachment 1: Community Improvement Plan Summary Report 2016 The following is a list of interested parties to be notified of this report: Garth Gilpin, Coordinator, Bowmanville BIA Liaison groups for Bowmanville, Newcastle and Orono CIPs c/o Faye Langmaid BW/FL/df I:\^Department\LDO NEW FILING SYSTEM\PLN Planning Files\PLN 37 Community Improvement Plan\PLN 37.0 CIP General\Staff Reports\PSD-004-17.docx Attachment 1 to Municipality of Clarington Report PSD-004-17 Community Improvement Plan Summary Report 2016 Bowmanville The non-capital funding provided to date for implementation of the Bowmanville Community Improvement Plan is $531,000. Just over $405,000 has been paid out in grants and $30,000 is committed and works are continuing. Staff had conversations with a number of business owners in 2016. Some of the business owners indicated they had already taken advantage of grants in the past and there was no funding remaining for additional works under the current program either because of the cap set out in the general grant rules or because the projects they wish to undertake do not meet the criteria of the current grant program. Another common comment from business owners was that they would not commit to funding projects for buildings they did not own, despite wanting to undertake works. These as well as other comments received are being reviewed during the Community Improvement Plan review. Some 25 properties (many of them have multiple addresses) have received Community Improvement Plan grants. The grants have been for 32 facades, 13 building code related improvements, 13 building permits, five site plan fees and six reconstruction grants. Newcastle The non-capital funding provided to date for implementation of the Newcastle Community Improvement Plan is $208,000. Over $178,000 has been paid out in grants, with the remaining funds committed. The Newcastle Community Improvement Plan grants have been fully subscribed every year. In 2016, two projects received funding: 1. 21 King Ave. E. – Façade Improvement, Site Plan, Signage, and Building Permit grants were approved for approximately $11,500. The project will see an existing single storey dental office add a second floor and a complete new façade. The estimated cost of the project is approximately $260,000. 2. 28 King Ave. E. – The Building Improvement grant in the amount of approximately $8,000 allowed for the construction and installation of a new accessible washroom. The total cost of the project was approximately $16,000. To date some 22 Properties have received Community Improvement Project grants in the form of 18 facade improvements, nine signage grants, seven building code grants (most related to accessibility), three site plan control fee and one building permit fee. Many properties have been the benefactors of more than one type of grant Orono The non-capital funding provided to date for implementation of the Orono Community Improvement Plan is $97,000. In addition, funds were expended on the Orono 175th celebrations and the Orono Park 90th celebrations, brochures, hall rentals for meetings and refurbishment and replacement of the Sidney Rutherford Walk signs. Over $84,000 has been paid out in grants. In 2016, three projects received funding: 1. 5310 Main St. – A Façade Improvement grant in the amount of approximately $6,500 allowed for new windows and doors to be installed that were in keeping with the heritage nature of the building. The total cost of the project was approximately $14,000. 2. 5344 Main St. – A Façade Improvement grant in the amount of approximately $3,000 allowed for some repairs to some of the external elements of the building and for new painting for the façade. Total cost of the project was approximately $6,000. 3. 5301 Main St. – A sign grant in the amount of $500 allowed for a new business sign to be installed. Total cost of the project was approximately $1,700. To date 22 properties have benefitted from the Community Improvement Project grants in the form of 14 facade improvements, 19 signage grants, two building code grants and an infill grant. Some properties have received more than one type of grant. Courtice The non-capital funding provided to date for Courtice is $56,000. The funding has been used for street trees along Highway 2 at Courtice Road, the Tooley Memorial, the lighting at the parkette at Trulls Road and Highway 2 and limited implementation of banners along Highway 2 from Centrefield to Townline Road. The Courtice Community Improvement Plan was adopted by Council in 2016. The grants will focus on providing incentives for increasing density and high quality development and redevelopment along Highway 2 in Courtice.