Saanich is moving to amend its development cost charges program, which sees developers pay specific fees to build in Saanich.
The fees vary geographically based on a map of Saanich. The parcels, however, do not correlate with existing neighbourhoods or community association borders, and have other challenges.
Coun. Vic Derman expressed his concern that the bylaw amendment, which is driven by a transition plan for the DCC, be done as soon as possible. Derman said he’s seen DCCs collected for projects in areas where all the DCC-designated projects were built, yet Saanich continues collecting DCCs without any new projects there.
“I’ve also seen projects that never happened in 20 years [because of DCCs],” Derman said.
Haji Charania, president of the North Quadra Community Association, said he wants to see a complete breakdown of DCCs made transparent. They could possibly be made available at the same time as the Planning, Engineering and/or Parks reports.
“During council’s deliberation on the 4247, 4253 and 4255 Dieppe Road development, [Engineering director] Harley Machielse mentioned a figure of $242,000,” Charania said. “This means that DCC estimates are there, and they should be made known to council and community.”
The next phase of implementing a new Saanich DCC program is completing a major review to update the DCC charges for a municipal-wide road program, according to the Saanich report. A new municipal-wide sewer, drain and water program would be required to establish new area-wide fees.
It will also need a consolidated fund created through a new “DCC Transfer Bylaw” that would provide base funding for these programs. A full DCC review would include Engineering, Finance and Planning staff, would need a consultant experienced in DCC reviews to lead Saanich through the process, and would show up as a one-time item in the 2017 budget.