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Levies up for discussion

City officials are expecting to get an earful from landowners and developers over the proposed changes to the city’s offsite levies.

City officials are expecting to get an earful from landowners and developers over the proposed changes to the city’s offsite levies.

A public information session will be held next week to gather feedback from affected landowners and developers regarding the city’s proposal to update offsite levies.

In November, council voted to amend the offsite levies bylaw, which would see new development pay for 50 per cent of two lanes in all three phases of Ray Gibbon Drive.

Developers would also be on the hook for 95 per cent of water reservoirs and pumphouses, in addition to other growth infrastructure already contained in the levy bylaw.

This means taxpayers would be on the hook for the remaining five per cent of the costs, which would total approximately $3 million or about $5,000 per household spread.

Mayor Nolan Crouse said he’s expecting opposition from developers about the proposed levies, but doesn’t believe it will hamper future development in the long run.

“The developers and landowners are probably going to say that development in St. Albert is too expensive, but I don’t think it’s going to stop development,” said Crouse. “The obligation for growth is more on the developers, and they will have a tendency to push that onto the taxpayers, but the buck stops with the mayor and council.”

Offsite levies are designed to compensate the city for the costs of building infrastructure such as water pipes, sewer trunks and arterial roads to new housing development.

Most municipalities in the region have some existing infrastructure, but St. Albert is basically starting from scratch in the annexed lands.

As a result, city administration began to explore the possibility of using offsite levies to pay for the infrastructure needed in order to proceed with development in the annexed lands and share the cost burden of major new infrastructure.

Administration originally gave council a number of options to choose from, but recommended the city pay for all of the $60 million in costs for the water reservoirs/pumphouses needed in the annexed lands.

In addition, administration recommended developers pay 50 per cent of the costs for the first phase of Ray Gibbon Drive and the city would pick up all of the $35 million in costs for phase two and three.

But council wasn’t on par with the idea, along with a number of city residents who voiced their objection during the November public hearing. Taxpayers weren’t onside with paying for the cost of development.

The public information session will take place at 9:30 a.m. Jan. 7 in the Ridgewood Room at the St. Albert Inn.

The feedback from affected landowners and developers during the public information session will be reported back to council during the continuation of the public hearing Jan. 25.

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