Ad Hoc Planning or Master Planning?

A city's OCP is a 30,000 ft view that lays out, in broad strokes, how the city is intended to grow or develop. It identifies land use and density. Master Plans are ground-level views that lay out in detail how that OCP will be executed. From water and sewer to transit, transportation, and parks, these plans prioritize action plans based on a number of factors, including needs, wants, and costs. 

The Parks, Recreation, and Culture Master Plan is a good example. Through extensive public engagement at two stages in the 4-stage process, staff learned what was important to the residents of Abbotsford, and the final draft reflected that to a great extent. Priorities were set accordingly, but not overlooking ongoing maintenance, population growth demands, and certainly financial feasibility. Priorities were organized into "Short", "Medium", and "Long-Term" action plans.

The master plan includes a 25-year financial plan that charts a path that can deliver an affordable plan that does not become a financial burden for taxpayers. As mentioned in the plans, if at any time grant funds become available, certain projects may be advanced more quickly. It must also be noted that master plans are always open for review and revision.

In the same way, each of the other eight master plans have been designed to facilitate more certainty and stability in how the city manages the financial and physical resources for its residents.

When candidates promise that upon election, they will deliver certain capital projects or programs, you need to ask them if and how it fits in the Master Plan, and how they propose to finance it. With respect to Parks, Recreation, and Culture, they also need to be asked how they will defend their decision before the public, whose input has greatly determined the priorities as set out in the master plan. And if they are willing to do this with one of the master plans, will they also apply that to the other eight? 

Will it be Ad Hoc Planning or Master Planning?

Business-Friendly Abbotsford

A long-time resident of Abbotsford has asked “… give me one specific thing you are fighting for that would make Abbotsford more attractive to businesses?” It’s a good question and I want to address it seriously.

The question infers that Abbotsford is either not attractive to business, or is dissuading businesses from remaining in Abbotsford. I will respond to those two possibilities first. If neither is inferred, I will respond to that at the end of my response.

Let me begin by briefly reviewing some notable recognition that Abbotsford has received in the last four years. In 2015, Abbotsford was recognized with the “Open For Business Award”, and the Fraser Institute recognized Abbotsford as the “Community With The Least Red Tape”. That same year, the Conference Board of Canada recognized Abbotsford as one of the fastest-growing economies in Canada. In 2016, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business ranked Abbotsford 9^th in Canada as one of Canada’s “Most Entrepreneurial Communities”. In 2017, Abbotsford was recognized as “Most Business-Friendly City” in BC, by NAIOP, and in November of last year, REIN (Real Estate Development Company) announced that Abbotsford was the 2nd best city in British Columbia to invest in. All of these awards, and more, can be found at:  

https://www.abbotsford.ca/city_hall/awards_and_recognition/city_awards_and_recognition.htm#2017

So I think it’s safe to say that Abbotsford has been attracting businesses in recent years. Can the city be more open or more “friendly” to new businesses? It certainly can.

Research tells us that 75% of growth in the business sector takes place in existing businesses, and only 25% is new growth. With that in mind, Economic Development Department has instituted “Business Walks”. Each year, local leaders, businessmen, and Council members target a specific geographic area, visiting businesses and engaging them in conversation around a set number of questions, which are employed each year. With time, the responses to those questions will provide the City with important data for informing the City’s strategies. More immediately, these visits provide opportunities for business owners to share specific challenges with us, and for the City to make them aware of resources that are available (eg business planning, or recruitment of skilled employees). This program has proven to be quite popular, and it will be continued.

Some business owners will argue that property taxes for business are too high; that a lower tax rate would attract business to Abbotsford. The fact of the matter is that presently, Abbotsford is among the lowest in the Lower Mainland/Fraser Valley. Abbotsford has been targeting a tax ratio of 2:1, however, due to the significant increase in property assessments in the last few years, the tax ratio has increased. Keeping the ratio at the lower level would have resulted in more significant residential property tax increases. The goal for the city remains to reach a ratio of 2:1.

Recently, Abbotsford missed out on being chosen as home for the new Molson Brewery, which is now under construction in Chilliwack. While Abbotsford was their first choice, a parcel of land of the size required, on a railway line, was not available. Had the West Abbotsford Special Study Area been approved for exclusion from the ALR, the outcome may have been different. Abbotsford’s supply of available industrial land has narrowed to only very small lots, and they too will soon be claimed. Abbotsford boasts an enviable rate of 65% of residents who live and work in Abbotsford – the highest in the Valley/Lower Mainland. If Abbotsford hopes to provide employment lands for new businesses, its supply of industrial lands will need to be increased in the near future. So at the appropriate time, I will support a reapplication to the ALC for exclusion of Special Area B in West Abbotsford from the ALR.

Abbotsford is presently under consideration by Intelligent Communities Forum for designation as an "Intelligent Community", which would bring national and international attention to our city and its potential as a place to invest. "Technology is going to reshape everything we do", a presenter at UFV recently stated, and communities that embrace that thinking in their planning, will have greater ability to adapt to the coming changes. Abbotsford is on the cusp of significant physical and economic growth, and it needs to be managed to the best of the city's advantage.

One of the most important factors for potential investors and companies considering to locate in any given community is the financial health of the local government and its level of fiscal discipline. Their main concern is the security of their investment; they will shy away from communities in which local government is either unable or unwilling to steward its financial resources responsibly. 

In the last six to seven years, Council has practiced fiscal discipline that reflects its understanding of this important principle. The nine recently-adopted Master Plans, which have financial plans on how to afford them attached to each, are the result of extensive community engagement and input. To throw that aside for some ad hoc projects at the whim of individual politicians would be fool-hardy and irresponsible. 

Most recent data available

So back to the original question of what I would "fight" for. Fight may not be the word I would choose, but certainly words like advocate, defend, and promote would reflect how I feel about financial management exercised by Council in the last four years and the OCP, Master Plans, and Neighbourhood Plans recently adopted or in progress; about the achievements reached in terms of creating a more business-friendly government; and about the continued pursuit of innovation and application of technology in improving our community, both where and how we live, work, and play. 

A Vibrant Economy

   The revised Official Community Plan (OCP, 2016), preceded by the community-wide engagement campaign, appears to be resonating with residents, the business community, and outside investors. The nine, newly-adopted Master Plans, which give direction to the future of our city's development, provide the ground-level mechanics of how that Plan will become reality. Council's Strategic Plan, the OCP, and Master Plans are all inter-dependent; each one an integral part of the greater whole - the Vision of being Hub of the Fraser Valley.

   Abbotsford is in a period of strong and sustained growth. Our population has grown at the rate of 6% over the last five years, and our economic growth has been identified as one of the strongest across Canada (a recent poll put it at 3rd strongest). The City has been welcoming new businesses that are choosing to relocate to Abbotsford, with other significant investors either making inquiries or in the negotiation phase. Passenger traffic at the airport last year reached approximately 750,000, with the expectations that 1 million would be reached within the next few years. An expansion of the terminal is presently underway.

   This week, the Planning Department released its 2nd Quarter report, and based on figures to end of July, the City is on pace to surpass last year's record construction and development status.