The Town of Gibsons Council has advanced its plan to update its Development Cost Charges (DCC) bylaw. The current DCCs were put in place in 2019.
A staff report said since the DCCs were last updated, “significant cost escalations in the construction industry and new growth-driven capital improvements have been identified through the completion of the Sanitary Sewer Strategic Plan (2024) and the Active Transportation Network Plan (2024).”
During its March 4 regular meeting, council endorsed recommendations made during a special Committee of the Whole on Feb. 25.
DCCs are fees charged to new developments to help fund infrastructure projects; rates are based on four separate programs: transportation, drainage, water and sanitary.
In 2022, Gibson's staff began work with Urban Systems to compile and refine the list of growth-related capital improvements required to support the build-out of the town.
Completed in summer 2024, the DCC rates are based on the estimated cost of the projects.
Stakeholder engagement was also held in the fall.
Feedback from the development community centred on concern over a significant rate increase, a desire to phase in the rate increase and consideration for non-market housing or affordable housing development opportunities.
Based on this review and engagement, Trevor Rutley, director of infrastructure, said the proposed DCC rate schedule is 10 per cent lower than what would have been presented to the committee in fall 2024.
The total value for the transportation program is $61,789,672, drainage is $7,562,391, water is at $35,926,875 and sanitary comes in at $37,592,566. A full list of projects under each category is included in the meeting agenda.
The bylaw proposes six categories of development types: single-detached dwelling, townhouse/duplex/multiplex/cluster, apartment, commercial, industrial, and institutional.
The proposed updates estimate a DCC on a single-detached dwelling would be $48,621.54, up from $17,167.40 in the 2019 bylaws.
A full list of development rates can be found online.
The report states that while this is a significant increase, “it is in line with the cost escalations in the construction industry that have been observed since the rates were adopted in 2019.”
“Recognizing the goal and the desire to support affordable housing development, these costs are very real, and this work does need to happen for the town to be able to grow,” said Rutley.
Council reiterated their desire to encourage infill housing through these updates.
Coun. David Croal asked if projects that are “in-stream” such as the development at 718 North Road would be exempt from the new DCCs which the director of infrastructure confirmed.
A motion to support the proposed DCC changes was unanimously passed, along with an additional option to exempt secondary suites and lock-off suites despite concerns about the province's framework incentivizing lower-density development.
“Unfortunately, either we look at our utility rates and look at DCC costs and things like this to make sure these things are paid for, or the burden is just going to fall on the taxpayer and our taxes,” said Mayor Silas White. “I've been really startled by the increases that we're looking at for the DCCs, and been hoping to find options. And the option is that taxes pay for it,” adding that he was reluctantly supporting it.
Jordan Copp is the Coast Reporter’s civic and Indigenous affairs reporter. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
Words missing in article? Your adblocker might be preventing hyperlinked text from appearing.
