Delta’s grand plan to revitalize the Ladner waterfront has hit a major roadblock.
That’s essentially how Delta council summed up the situation following word the province won’t be providing long-term leases.
“As much as we wanted to make Chisholm Street this great sort of Steveston-like beautiful place with boardwalks and fish and chips and restaurants and coffee shops, how can we do this with 10-year leases?” asked Coun. Ian Paton.
“Companies will not come in and take the risk of setting up business or borrowing money from the banks, and they probably won’t lend you money for a 10-year-lease,” added Paton, who is the Liberal candidate in Delta South in the upcoming provincial election.
Three of the major properties on Chisholm Street are owned by Delta, which had hoped to use them as a catalyst for redevelopment of the waterfront, but needed long-term water lot leases to do so.
What’s worse, Victoria told Delta it can only use those properties for community amenities and heritage preservation purposes.
Port Metro Vancouver had been managing provincially-owned water lots, but pulled out when its agreement with Victoria expired at the end of 2014. The province has since taken over but hadn’t offered current or prospective leaseholders, including float home owners and businesses, long-term tenure, which meant the waterfront wasn’t a particularly attractive place to invest.
Delta used $2.3 million in amenity money it received from the port about a decade earlier to purchase the Seven Seas site, with a goal to eventually encourage revitalization of the area. Delta has also approved a waterfront mixed-use zone that would permit a wide range of uses.
The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Resources came up with a management agreement after consultations with the Musqueam Indian Band, an agreement that doesn’t allow for long-term leases. What’s more, Delta officials are also fuming they had just a week to comment on the agreement.
Council agreed to ask the province to reconsider and this week the municipality issued a press release stating Delta refuses to accept the short-term lease plan.
Mayor Lois Jackson described the provincial decision as disappointing, lamenting all the work and dollars Delta has put into cleaning up the harbour.
CAO George Harvie said it’s “an insult” because the province also downzoned what the municipality can do with its properties, meaning little can be done unless the province changes its position. He noted Delta’s earlier offer to provide a 50-year pre-paid lease was rejected.
“We’re one frustrated property owner. All along the river they’ve been getting the same message,” Harvie said.
Mike Owen of Mike’s Marine Services, who said it’s been frustrating waiting for the water lot lease issue to be resolved, said he still needs more answers on the agreement.
Saying 10-year leases would be viewed on the low side for the floating home community, and more so when it comes to the municipality trying to redevelop Ladner Harbour, Kelly McCloskey, president of the Floating Home Association of B.C., earlier this year met with of Minister of Forests, Lands and Resources Steve Thomson. McCloskey noted they were told new leases would be made available by the end of this year, which will at least alleviate some uncertainty.
