The City of St. Albert has released its 2012 priorities, and it's no surprise that once again economic development has been identified as a high priority. If one were to look back, I would suspect that economic development has been a council priority for the past 20 years, and is likely listed as a priority with each municipality within the Capital region. So, what's new here?
At the annual business and tourism development breakfast held in late February, Mayor Nolan Crouse outlined a 20-point economic development plan. Much of the plan's content dealt with infrastructure; regional planning and long range plans beyond 2040; collaborative marketing; and the usual business retention and attraction strategies.
What caught my attention were a couple of points dealing with standards review; process and policy review; corporate staff support; acceptance and welcoming; common strategy; and new light industrial park designation.
So what is new in this plan that hasn't been suggested or tried already in St. Albert? Development standards in the city's business parks have been higher than those of most competitors and it's been suggested by business owners over the years that they are a deterrent to development. These standards include landscaping requirements in the business parks, building design standards and the level of infrastructure required by the land developers.
The city has reviewed its processes and policies as part of a business-friendly review. This identified some barriers to development but the report was watered down and then shelved by administration. At the breakfast, the mayor announced a new position within the city to "collaborate and work with the landowners."
That new responsibility was assigned to the engineering department, and as yet there is no representation from the city's business and tourism development professionals. This seems odd. The complaints from business and industry centred around city policies and processes, so the city puts the department responsible for these policies in charge of collaborating with business.
The mayor also identified that corporate support was needed to enable economic growth. Again, it has been suggested that the city's corporate culture, and administration's balking at adding industrial development as part of the city's overall strategy, that has been at the heart of the industrial land debate. Had it not been for the hard lobbying of the chamber of commerce and members of the St. Albert economic development advisory committee (SAEDAC), city council would have completely removed the 80-20 tax split goal from the municipal development plan (MDP). The inclusion of future study areas in the MDP to recognize the need for future industrial lands was also a last minute addition, based on strong lobbying efforts by the chamber and SAEDAC. Yet in 2012, after numerous studies and debates, we are still trying to decide if and where future industrial lands might be located.
Collaboration
In my opinion, the most contentious point in the mayor's plan is the discussion around collaboration between city planning and landowners. In his presentation the mayor indicated that it was up to the landowners to service and sell industrial lands in St. Albert. Point taken. Nothing will happen if landowners aren't convinced they can turn a profit from the development of the land they hold for future growth. With St. Albert's track record (and perceptions about doing business in the city) most landowners are reluctant to see their holdings converted to industrial. They know the struggles that lie ahead to get any type of industrial development in the city and know it's just easier to do residential developments.
One landowner (a significant developer in the Capital region) has opposed any thought of industrial designation on their land holdings in St. Albert, but at the same time is developing hundreds of acres of industrial park lands in Spruce Grove. So why would it not be beneficial to develop non-residential lands in St. Albert, yet invest in significant industrial zoned lands just down the road?
To get collaboration from the landowners, the city will need to demonstrate that some of the points in the plan are not just more empty promises. The landowner/planning collaboration strategy has been a missing component over the years. Before landowners willingly move to industrial land designations, they will need to be assured that the city is serious about improving its internal workings to facilitate such development.
If the city doesn't effectively follow through on the various components within the 20-point plan, business attraction and retention will remain difficult. For the sake of St. Albert's sustainability, let's hope the city gets it right after all.
