Downtown incentive program gets council’s unanimous approval

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This article was published 04/12/2018 (2849 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

City council has approved a new program for downtown property owners looking to add features to their existing buildings, in the hopes it will enhance the character of Brandon’s core district.

Councillors unanimously approved the Downtown Brandon Encroachment Incentive Program on Monday night, which will exempt property owners from having to pay administrative fees associated with encroachment agreements they have with the city.

The city defines encroachment as any type of vegetation, man-made object or item of personal property that exists on, or extends onto, public lands.

A council report said the program would encourage more building and site features in the city’s core, whether it’s signs, awnings, lighting, sidewalk patios and public art, which will “positively contribute to the vision for downtown Brandon.”

Brandon Downtown Development Corp. executive director Elisabeth Saftiuk said the administrative fees are rather minimal, but they have been seen as a perceived barrier for property owners looking to add certain features to their buildings.

“Given that the financial impact is relatively minimal for the city, I think it’s something that we can do to help promote investment in our downtown,” Saftiuk told The Brandon Sun.

The annual encroachment fee was set at a minimum cost of $75 and a maximum of $500 for 2018 — the 2019 fee schedule has proposed increasing the maximum fee to $600 — and is calculated using a formula that includes land values, square footage, price per square foot, and the size of the area being encroached upon.

Saftiuk told council that when she spoke to interested parties about the encroachment process, they became “slightly disenfranchised” and felt that it was too much of a barrier.

Staff from the Brandon Downtown Development Corp. and the city’s economic development, finance, and planning, property and buildings departments have since worked on the new incentive program, which will come into effect on Jan. 1, 2019.

There are three properties with existing encroachment agreements that would be eligible for the program.

The properties were not named in the report, but all three generate a total of $1,150 in revenue for the city.

Several councillors spoke favourably about the program, noting its relatively minimal impact to the city’s budget and the benefits it will bring to downtown.

“I think this is a great move, I think it’s well overdue and I’m glad that we’re doing this,” Coun. Barry Cullen (Victoria) said.

New encroachment agreements will last 10 years, with the option to reapply for an additional 10 years as long as all requirements are met.

The program will have certain eligibility requirements and an application process, of which a draft has already been created, Saftiuk said.

She said a committee made up of representatives from the corporation, economic development, and planning, property and buildings will look at new encroachment agreements and evaluate them going forward.

Saftiuk will also act as the point person to shepherd applicants through the process.

» mlee@brandonsun.com

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