Fact Sheet Downtown Wasaga Beach Community Improvement Plan 1) What is a Community Improvement Plan ( CIP )? Answer: A Community Improvement Plan (CIP) is a planning tool under the Planning Act that allows a municipality to offer grant programs to assist a municipality in realizing its planning vision in this case the Downtown Master Plan. It also allows the Town to acquire and prepare property within the designated area for the purpose of implementing the objectives of the CIP. Land can be acquired in many different ways including, through an agreement of purchase and sale, trade, transfer, easement or expropriation. (See links to provincial resources providing information on CIP s at the end of this fact sheet.) The programs offered in the Downtown CIP are designed to offset any market shortfalls that may exist by using financial mechanisms, in the form of grants and rebates, to reduce the costs of development and redevelopment in the downtown area and attract new investment. These financial tools can be used to catalyze new development and investment in early years until a market has been established and then they can be removed. The CIP does not change the use of private lands. The Town can also sell or lease municipal lands or lands that it has acquired within any portion of the CIP area to anyone for the purpose of achieving the goals and objectives of the CIP. Any land disposal must be done in accordance with the Town s Sale of Land policy. 2) What are the objectives of the Community Improvement Plan? Answer: The objectives of the Community Improvement Plan are as follows: To encourage existing property owners to reinvest in development consistent with the directions of the Downtown Master Plan;
To encourage a broader range of housing in the form of apartments that can provide affordable and market ownership/rental opportunities for seniors and first-time homebuyers; To catalyze the first phases of development around both urban plazas on Main Street; To enhance the quality of the public realm along Main Street to be more walkable and to create a more pedestrian-friendly environment that will help businesses prosper; To encourage the renewal and upgrading of tourism-based accommodation; To maximize the use and efficiency of existing municipal infrastructure; and To grow the property tax base. 3) The CIP designates a Priority Investment Area ( PIA ), what does this mean? Answer: The objectives of the CIP and the financial incentives that are offered in the CIP will be focused on properties that are located primarily along Main Street between Beck Street and Beach Drive. This includes all properties fronting on both proposed town squares. This area is highlighted as the Priority Investment Area and is illustrated below. The Town may offer incentives outside the Priority Investment Area to encourage affordable housing or rental housing opportunities to be built elsewhere in the downtown. 4) What tools are proposed to be used in the CIP? Community Improvement Plan Priority Investment Area
Answer: Incentive programs were chosen with the intention of reducing costs associated with new development to catalyze new investment in the Downtown area. These financial incentive programs are expected to offer the greatest impact for future investment in the Downtown and are as follows: Potential Development Charge reductions/rebates Potential property tax grant equal to the full amount or portion of the property tax increase after redevelopment, spread over a five (5) year period; Potential Planning Application and Building Permit fee rebates; Potential parking ratio reductions; and Potential incentives for affordable and market rental housing. If necessary, Council could acquire strategic parcels of land to assist with implementing the objectives of the plan through negotiated purchase, trade, transfer or expropriation. Expropriation is not a first choice and would generally be pursued as a last resort. 5) How will the process work? Answer: The process will be performance based. A developer will submit an application that must meet the goals of the Official Plan and the Downtown Master Plan that will place significant emphasis on achieving development that has a positive impact on shaping the future downtown in terms of form (architectural quality) and function (uses contained within the proposed development). An applicant will be required to go through an evaluation process of which a critical evaluation criterion will be a development pro forma that demonstrates financial need. Following a review by Town staff, a recommendation report will be considered by Town Council. 6) Is this a free handout to developers? Answer: No developers will need to demonstrate through a development pro forma that their project has a financial need and without some form of assistance, the project would not be financially viable and would not proceed. Council will ultimately be in a position to decide if they wish to grant assistance for projects on a case-by-case basis there will be no obligation to provide incentives. 7) How could this impact taxpayers? Answer: CIP incentives are intended as rebates to a developer. There will be a pay back to the Town over time. With new development comes an increased tax base. The additional revenue that will come to the Town through increased property tax will offset and pay back any rebates that are offered.
8) Is the CIP an Expropriation By-Law? Answer: No - a CIP does not provide the authority to expropriate. Powers of expropriation are provided to all municipalities in the province by the Municipal Act. These powers already exist in Wasaga Beach without this CIP being in place. The CIP allows Council to acquire property in any portion of the Community Improvement Plan Area (CIPA) if required, to meet the objectives of the plan. 9) Will the CIP result in private homes being expropriated? Answer: There is no intention to expropriate private residences. The focus of the CIPA is the Priority Investment Area and there are no homes in this area. Expropriation is not a first choice and would generally be pursued as a last resort. 10) How will this impact me if I live outside the Priority Investment Area? Answer: The CIP may encourage affordable housing or rental housing to be built outside of the Priority Investment Area, but within the downtown. The CIP, working in combination with planning policy as outlined in the Official Plan, Zoning By-law and Urban Design Guidelines, also encourages higher density housing within the Priority Investment Area. The Official Plan, Zoning By-Law and Urban Design Guidelines will mitigate impacts on existing homes that are immediately adjacent to higher density projects that may be built. 11) Is the Priority Investment Area permanent? Answer: No it is intended to be a short term (non-permanent) solution to assist redevelopment efforts. Council will review the effectiveness of the Priority Investment Area after five years to see if it should remain, be moved to another location in the downtown or be cancelled. 12) What if I still have questions? Answer: Please contact us and we ll do our best to provide you with answers. The best person to address your questions about the CIP is Nathan Wukasch, Planner. He can be reached at 705-429-3847, ext. 2273. You can also reach him by e-mail at n.wukasch@wasagabeach.com. Provincial Information Links: http://www.mah.gov.on.ca/page1297.aspx
http://www.mah.gov.on.ca/page6850.aspx Staff Report on the Downtown Community Improvement Plan http://www.wasagabeach.com/business%20and%20economic%20development%20documents/2017-11-21%20cip%20recommendation%20report%20cow.pdf