City council may have axed plans for a light industrial park near Carrot Creek, but finding a new spot for industrial development remains a priority, says Mayor Nolan Crouse.
City administration has until next spring to find a new location for a new light industrial park in the northwest, after council on Monday unanimously rejected a proposal to build one near Carrot Creek. The location next to the creek was criticized, with council’s environmental advisory committee (EAC) calling the creek an ecologically sensitive area.
“None of the experts were in favour of it,” Coun. Lorie Garritty said. “What gave it the most weight, for me, was the EAC’s recommendation against it.”
The industrial park idea was part of the city’s smart growth plan, an overall set of planning principles that was also rejected Monday. Mayor Nolan Crouse said the vote was an indication that council had listened to advice given by people and groups with knowledge of the area and its environmental significance.
“I think council responded to that input. It sent a strong message, environmentally,” he said. “At this point in time we still want to have some non-residential, and that’s a key priority for us.”
Crouse said he is going to wait for administration’s recommendations in March for a new industrial park location, adding that many factors need to be reconciled to find the best location for industrial growth. The location could include a portion of the rejected industrial site, at least the area furthest away from Carrot Creek where a former landfill currently sits.
“The terrain, the impact of the landfill sites that are there, the impact of the creek that is there, [we need to] get input from landowners,” said Crouse. “Right now, I’m just looking for our staff to go through all of the options.”
For Garritty, setting aside 283 hectares for industrial felt like too much. He said he had doubts the city even needed that much to move closer to the city’s goal of an 80-20 split between residential and non-residential assessment.
“I’m a believer that we can get there without [283 hectares],” he said.
Avenir project
Coun. Gareth Jones said that while the city’s municipal development plan (MDP) would need major adjustments as a result of council’s decisions, he believes the city can find another way to create more industrial space and improve the city’s residential and non-residential tax balance.
Specifically, he feels the $1.8-billion development proposed by Avenir Rampart for the same area as the industrial park has merit. Rampart, headed by Vancouver-based Gerry de Klerk, currently owns the land along Carrot Creek, excluding the landfill area.
SAS Sports & Entertainment Group owns the landfill area and has proposed creating a mixed-use commercial-industrial and sports park development.
“I like the type of development Avenir has proposed,” said Jones. “When you put that and the [SAS] project together, I think they’re great.”
The Avenir project proposes building residential along the Carrot Creek area and inside the land, blending it with non-residential and commercial use to create what project manager David Bromley called an urban village.
“It’s a small, step-by-step approach,” Bromley said of how the development would be created over 15 years. Bromley added that he saw the development as a testing ground for clean technology and is already working with de Klerk to get partners on board.
Garritty said he could see the potential in the project, as it would address several issues council is concerned with. However, he hoped that whatever solution is chosen addresses the city’s need for more industrial space.
“What I’m hopeful of is that there’s a logical location that everyone is buying into,” Garritty said. “I hope its win-win.”
