Waverley West Impact Fees – Open House

Jan 22, 2017

Please join myself and a panel of experts who will present an overview on Winnipeg’s new Impact Fees, their purpose and how the fees will affect residents and businesses in the communities of Waverley West (Neighbourhoods of Bridgwater and South Pointe).

DATE: Wednesday, February 8, 2017

TIME: 6:30 p.m. Registration; 7:00 p.m. Presentation

PLACE: Waverley Heights Community Centre, 1885 Chancellor Drive

Ample parking; Refreshments served

PANEL GUESTS:

Ms. Michelle E. Richard, Richard Wintrup & Associates: Ms. Richard is a partner at Richard Wintrup & Associates, a Winnipeg-based planning company. She was the lead planner for ‘OurWinnipeg’, a guiding document that lays out a 25-year vision for Winnipeg. “OurWinnipeg’ received an award of Planning Excellence by the Canadian Institute of Planners.
Mr. Don Larke, Vice-President of Construction & Development, Hopewell Development: Based out of Calgary, Hopewell Development is one of Canada’s largest commercial developers. Hopewell has multiple projects in Winnipeg, and currently is developing the commercial area of Centre Street in the Neighbourhoods of Bridgwater.
Mr. Anupam Kothari, President, Kothari Group of Companies: Based out of Mississauga, the Kothari Group develops and manages real estate across Canada. Kothari Group has multiple projects in Winnipeg, and is currently developing a condominium and townhouse complex in the community of South Pointe.
Mr. Amit Bindra, Realtor with Century 21 Bachman & Associates and Sales Agent with Artista Homes: Mr. Bindra is a successful realtor and sales agent who has his finger on the pulse of Winnipeg’s real estate market. Mr Bindra has an in-depth knowledge of the Neighbourhoods of Bridgwater and South Pointe, and has helped many families find the home of their dreams in these communities.

On October 26, 2016, under the leadership of Mayor Bowman, City Council voted 10 to 6 to support the implementation of an ‘Impact Fee’ on all new homes being built in Waverley West (and other suburban communities throughout Winnipeg – SEE MAP). Effective May 1, 2017, a fee of $54.73 per sq. metre ($5,084.42 per 1,000 sq. feet) will be charged on new homes.

I did not support implementation of the impact fee because the ‘process’ used to develop the by-law did not adhere to best practices; the process was not open, transparent and collaborative with all stakeholders. Regardless, 10 members of Council did support implementation of the Impact Fee. See my City Council speech on October 26 regarding impact fees.

Now, I am receiving many questions from community residents, such as:

Why do we need an impact fee?
How was the exact value of the impact fee determined?
How will this fee impact commercial activity in the community ?
How will this fee impact growth in Waverley West communities?
Where does this fee go? What growth related activities will it be supporting ?
And more.

Regrettably, during the process of developing the fee, Mayor Bowman and Councillor Orlikow (lead elected officials on the initiative) did not hold any public consultations to help residents understand the how’s and why’s of an impact fee. The City of Calgary recently implemented a similar fee (called a levy) and held three public sessions – Calgary followed best practices and the process took just over a year. In Winnipeg, the process used to determine a fee took less than 2 months.

The February 8^th presentation will aim to answer many of these questions and provide valuable insight on the Impact Fee: