Most people probably wouldn’t want to live near industrial land. Industrial uses are dirty, smelly, polluting and so on, right?
Not necessarily.
Calgary isn’t a smokestack town and a lot of its industrial sites might make better neighbours than commercial sites.
Industrial areas are often warehouse districts, says planner Tim Creelman, who works in planning policy and land use planning at city hall.
A lot of the land is given to “intermodal facilities,” where goods are transferred from one form of transport to another. It’s truck-to-train in the southeast and truck-to-aircraft in the northeast, he says.
Many goods arriving in the region or leaving change transport methods in Calgary.
Thus, some industrial areas might be more desirable neighbours than commercial areas, says Creelman.
He was involved with the short-term industrial growth management strategy released earlier this year by the city, a document which outlined the city’s supply of and demand for industrial land through 2004.
Despite the name, it’s not a true strategy. A strategy would first require a public process to decide what types of development to have, and where. “That’s what this document doesn’t do,” says Creelman.
Drawing it up did include input from industry stakeholders. It should go to the planning commission in March and, if the commission approves, to city council in May.
The city has had a long-term growth strategy since 1986, including the 30-year supply of residential land. But it’s never had a short-term plan, he says.
The report notes that industrial use in Calgary runs from warehousing and light industry right up to heavy industry. Commercial uses from car lots to hotels are allowed, and tend to congregate on the edges of industrial areas. That can make it difficult to project demand for industrial land.
Calgary’s industrial land is mostly in three areas, the southeast, central and north-northeast industrial areas. The five-and-a-half square-mile central industrial area is the oldest. It has many vacant sites where older industries have moved out, and a lot of areas changing to commercial, says the report.
The southeast industrial area is 17 square miles with an intermodal rail facility and excellent access to expressways. It has virtually all the heavy industry and a full range of small businesses in bays in multi-tenant buildings.
The city report also says it is building out north to south and east to west, and along Deerfoot Trail. The heart of the area is between Barlow Trail and 52nd Street S.E., and Peigan Trail and the Western Headworks Canal.
The north-northeast industrial area centres on the airport and attracts businesses relying on air and air cargo and shipping services. Industrial uses south, east and west of the airport have small and medium businesses in multi-tenant buildings, notes the report.
The north-northeast sector has the greatest supply of land for industrial growth, but it needs major transportation and utility work to be opened up, says the report.
There is also a small industrial area off Macleod Trail S. in the south end, and the University Research Park north of the U of C is classed as industrial.
Finally, two square miles in the northeast are reserved for research and development and research-based manufacturing, and industrial growth could occur next to those lands, says the report.
The planners report that industrial demand in Calgary through 2004 will be 261 acres a year. About 60 per cent will be for warehouse and distribution use, and the rest for light manufacturing.
The total gross vacant industrial land supply is 10,397 acres. The short-term supply of land is 4,507 acres, or 17 years’ worth. Of those, only 1,691 acres are fully serviced or immediately serviceable, say planners.
The report says that the city can protect and increase land for general light industrial use by planning new industrial areas and planning for industrial growth along expressway corridors.
Assessments are going out for properties and businesses across the city, with average single residential values up six per cent over the year 2000.
A city news release says the typical residential assessment is now $165,000, up from $160,000 last year. The assessments are based on market conditions on July 1, 2000. The previous assessment was based on July 1, 1999, values.
Reassessments are done annually.
The six-per-cent average increase means owners whose assessment increased by less than six per cent will have tax decreases, and those whose assessments increase by more than six per cent will have residential property tax increases.
The city says market reports show that 91 per cent of residential and 46 per cent of non-residential properties will have decreases or increases of less than five per cent.
It says 93 per cent of businesses will have business tax decreases or increases of no more than five per cent.
Business assessment notices and business tax bills were to be mailed last week. Business owners have until March 26 to file complaints.
Property assessment notices were to go out this week, and the complaint period runs to April 2. Property tax notices will be mailed in May and taxes are due June 29, says the city.
Assessments go up this morning at 8 a.m. on the city’s Web site.
