St. Albert Mayor Nolan Crouse unveiled his 20-point plan for economic development leading with a promise the city will create more serviced industrial land.
Crouse unveiled the plan Tuesday morning at his annual business breakfast at the Enjoy Centre in front of a room of local business people.
Crouse said the plan was essential to the future of the city, because attracting business would allow St. Albert to grow and better balance its tax base.
“The stakes are high for developers, landowners and the city,” he said. “It is a long-term plan and a plan to balance the tax burden.”
The 20-point plan, which he first promised in his state-of-the-city address earlier this month, is a mixture of some concrete initiatives, many that are already underway, and a series of proposal to create a more friendly business environment in the city.
Crouse alluded to the road and water infrastructure the city is planning to build this year, including Ray Gibbon Drive and Veness Road, as well as the Oakmont water line.
He said the roads especially are about better connecting St. Albert with the rest of the region and giving the city’s existing industrial areas room to grow.
“We are not doing that for residents, we are doing that for business.”
The plan also promises a more business friendly environment at city hall, with a growth initiative team within administration specifically looking at how to expand business in the city and reviews of city policies around development to make sure they are working efficiently.
Crouse also promised a robust promotional effort to reach out to businesses and encourage them to move to the community. A key to the approach would be to get landowners onside and he promised to work hard to convince them to sell and open their land for development.
“If we don’t work together with landowners we don’t go anywhere.”
Lynda Moffat, president and CEO of the chamber of commerce, said the mayor’s speech was encouraging, but she will now be looking at how city council reacts.
“I think city council really believes that they are making progress and that is so important because they are not just giving it lip service,” she said. “It is always the proof is in the pudding and it will be interesting to see when it comes.
Moffat specifically noted an upcoming vote in April that could see the city add some 283 hectares of industrial land to the city.
Crouse said, the rest of council will have to make up their own minds and he won’t speak for them, but he believes St. Albert needs the land.
“I have all the information I need to vote yes.”
Moffat said the city could have a lot more land to sell if they were willing to engage with the public.
“We have been turning business away for years because we have no place for them to locate,” she said. “They have to be able to have serviced land that is ready to sell.”
Ivan Mayer, president of the Riel Business Park Association and chair of the St. Albert Economic Development Advisory Committee, said he was impressed with Crouse’s speech.
“Now they are starting to realize that we have to put our money where our mouth is. It seems that council is serious.”
Mayer said there are a handful of lots in the community for industrial land today, but any major project has to go to another community.
“If you want to put a 40,000- or 50,000-square-foot warehouse where are you going to put it? There is nowhere to put it.”
Crouse said he is ready to commit to a consistent long-term approach for the new plan. He said building a more diverse St. Albert is going to take consistency from the city.
“You have to have a strong will by a lot of people and you have to be willing to take risks and hopefully we are putting all those pieces together.”
In addition to encouraging developers to sell their land Crouse said to be successful the city will have to continue to push industrial development over the residential development it has traditionally seen.
“You stick with your guns on the zoning and then you also have to show that you are at the table with infrastructure.”
