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That, on the recommendation of the Managing
Director, Planning and City Planner, the following actions be taken with
respect to the City of London’s various financial incentives offered through
Community Improvement Programs in the City of London:
a) the Civic Administration BE DIRECTED to undertake a
service review process in 2016 to consider and evaluate the range of
financial incentives offered through the City’s existing Community
Improvement Plan programs and to report on the cost, strategic benefit, and
affordability of such programs, as well as any potential savings that could
be realized through changes to these programs;
b) the
Civic Administration BE DIRECTED to consider, amongst other potential changes
to existing programs, the potential for the following two program changes:
i) instituting
a $10 million cap on the funding assigned to the Residential Development
Charges Rebate Grant Program, between the years 2017 to 2019; it being noted
that if the $10 million cap is reached (ie. grants have been issued at any
time between 2017 and 2019 totalling $10 million), additional projects, or
portions of projects, constructed in that period would be required to pay
development charges and no grant would be offered; it being further noted
that for the year 2020 and beyond, a similar cap or a program of stepping
down the amount of the development charge rebate grant should be considered;
and,
ii) taking
a more targeted approach to the development charges grant for industrial
uses, such that the program aligns with the attraction of key industrial
sectors and those types of industrial uses that generate the highest levels
of employment; it being noted that a stepping down of the development charge grant
should also be considered;
c) the
Civic Administration BE DIRECTED to undertake a rigorous public engagement
program for the service review process identified in parts a) and b), above,
to include the Downtown London BIA, the Old East Village BIA, other
interested business and resident groups, the London Economic Development
Corporation, the London Development Institute, the London Chamber of
Commerce, the London Manufacturing Council, the Urban League of London and
other members of the building and development community;
d) as
part of the service review process relating to existing community improvement
plans, the Civic Administration BE DIRECTED to consider and evaluate the
following incentive programs that have been posed to the Municipal Council in
the past and to report on the cost, strategic benefit and affordability of
such programs:
i) a
new incentive program stemming from the Hamilton Road Community Improvement
Plan process;
ii) a
new incentive program stemming from the Lambeth Community Improvement Plan
process;
iii)
the
expansion of the Downtown Community Improvement Area to align with the new
boundaries of the Downtown London Business Improvement Area;
iv)
a
new incentive program granting a development charge rebate for new buildings,
or additions, to accommodate publicly accessible sports and recreation
services;
v)
a
new incentive program granting a development charge rebate for new buildings,
or additions, to accommodate private, or not-for-profit educational
facilities, including music schools;
vi)
a
new incentive program for environmentally sustainable buildings or
communities;
vii)
a
new incentive program providing development charge rebates for new buildings,
or additions, to accommodate small businesses;
viii)
funding
the existing Brownfield Contamination Assessment Study Grants incentive
program to help proponents assess their property for the presence and extent
of brownfield contamination, assess risk and determine the best means for
remediating those sites; and,
ix)
fund
the existing Industrial Corridor Enhancement Program to help industrial
property owners improve their properties (landscaping, screening, tree
planting, etc.), where such properties are visible from important corridors
such as the Veterans Memorial Parkway or Highway 401;
e)
the
Civic Administration BE REQUESTED to provide a business case relating to
Brownfield Contamination Assessment Study Grant Program Summary as part of
the 2016-2019 Multi-year Budget process; and,
f)
the
Civic Administration BE REQUESTED to investigate the impacts of the vacancy
tax rebate on the municipality and to provide potential recommendations for
communication to the provincial government as part of the review;
it
being pointed out that the Planning and Environment Committee reviewed and
received the following communications with respect to these matters:
·
a
communication dated January 28, 2016 from M. Drangova, Chair, Old East
Village, Business Improvement Area; and,
·
the
attached communication dated February 1, 2016 from J. MacDonald, CEO
and General Manager, Downtown London;
it being noted that the Planning and
Environment Committee reviewed and received a presentation from the Managing
Director, Planning and City Planner, with respect to these matters.
(2016-D19)
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