Surrey Council restricts Industrial Land Rezoning
The Surrey Council has put a stop to the rezoning of industrial land – it looks like they’re having a similar problem to Vancouver: Condo’s just don’t bring in the taxes like business do:
The city has only 1,300 acres of vacant developable industrial land, a figure which had been dwindling. Surrey put a stop to that Monday afternoon.“An interim policy to protect the city’s current supply of industrial designated land is considered to be a first step in curtailing any further erosion in Surrey’s employable lands base,†the staff report says.
The latest housing boom hasn’t helped Surrey’s imbalance of taxation, Gill said.
“When you put residential everywhere, you’re not covering your costs of your infrastructure, in terms of your policing, your fire, your city costs,†said Gill, also the chair of the city’s finance committee.
Gill wants to see a plan beyond the industrial lockdown that would include enticements for industries “that would have a very high ratio of employment.â€
April 10th, 2007 at 10:59 am
Yep – the problem is that people living in condos consume more services than they pay for under the current system.I wonder how much residential property taxes will be going up here in the next couple of years?
April 10th, 2007 at 10:27 am
Warren"Now, I understand how re-zoning industrial land to SFH will not generate the same income, but what about high story apartments? Surely the property tax income is similar or higher than the same land as industrial use."The problem as I understand it not only one of income per hectare but income per citizen. In which case the apartments are even worse than SFH on one half of the equation.
April 10th, 2007 at 8:50 am
We should have some kind of "rite of passage" for council hopefuls, say, completing some kind of standardized SimCity game based on actual city stats.Heh, no doubt. On that note George Bush needs to play Civilization to see what happens when you spend way too much money and your army is losing a battle on the other side of the planet.Now, I understand how re-zoning industrial land to SFH will not generate the same income, but what about high story apartments? Surely the property tax income is similar or higher than the same land as industrial use.Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but don't developers pay up front for X number of sewer/water/power connections when they are building?A recent article in the paper highlighted how much businesses pay in Vancouver and how they are subsidizing home owners to a ridiculous degree. Its crippling.I will say that taxation in this country is lopsided. The feds collect all the money, yet its the provinces (health care), and the cities (drivers of the economy) that need to spend it.
April 9th, 2007 at 7:22 pm
Yeah!Let's all quit our jobs and become professional condo-flippers!
April 9th, 2007 at 7:19 pm
Yet another indication of Greater Vancouver's virtual economy – the return on using land for making things can no longer compete with speculative residential RE.We don't need no stinkin' fundamentals!
April 9th, 2007 at 3:55 pm
We should have some kind of "rite of passage" for council hopefuls, say, completing some kind of standardized SimCity game based on actual city stats.
April 9th, 2007 at 3:27 pm
Why don't they just make ALL land industrial and require people to live at work? Plenty o' tax dollars then!
April 9th, 2007 at 2:45 pm
The horse has already left the barn.
April 9th, 2007 at 1:46 pm
I'm sure they will, but I bet they get less of an outcry by limiting rezoning then by raising property taxes.
April 9th, 2007 at 1:29 pm
Learn to raise the property tax rate, then. Let the voters pay for what they use, that's it.