Hays Creek
More than $1,581,690 of new provincial funding will be applied for to complete necessary repairs to Hays Creek in the area of McClymont Park, City Council members heard at the regular meeting on Jan. 25.
Hays Creek is the primary collector stream for drainage from the north slope of Mount Hays. In the 1950s and 1960s the stream was collected into an artificial channel lined with stone walls as it passes through the Civic Center property, Rosamaria Miller corporate administrator said. The walls are in need of repair.
A resolution was passed for city staff to apply for the total cost of the project through the new COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream (CVRIS) which is a line of grants partnered with the federal Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP).
“The ICIP COVID-19 resilience infrastructure fund provides 100 per cent of funding for approved projects and therefore no initial cost contribution from the city is required,” Miller said.
CVRIS will support projects that focus on retrofits, rehabilitation, and upgrades to existing local government and Indigenous
Downtown Revitalization Tax Exemption Program
A two-prong approach will be started by the municipality with more than 100 letters ready to be sent to business owners within the downtown core area regarding the new Downtown Revitalization Tax Exemption Program, Lee Brain mayor said.
One letter is to explain the opportunities under the program, with the second letter about enforcement.
“… It is time to start cleaning up properties. It’s time to clean up the unsightly premises, or this is the year where we’re going to start to enforce,” Lee Brain mayor said.
“It’s time for us to take action. It’s time for us to clean up the town. I think the strategy we’re employing, the two-prong approach, is going to get some traction,” Brain said.
Council passed the new by-law with it’s fourth and final reading.
Bylaw Updates
New draft updates to the Offical Community Plan highlighting airport access, the landfill, and the McBride entry gateway to the city were presented to city council by Chris Buchan of iPlan Ltd. a consultation firm, highlighting changes requested by council at the Dec. 7 meeting.
Changes to the zoning bylaw are proposed to allow principal dwellings and secondary suites to both be rented in order to address the housing demand situation. Previously the owner of the property was required to live in one of the suites. Also addressed was the location of shipping containers with M1 being added as a zone in which containers may be located.
Buchan also presented a written recommendation report detailing off-street parking standards in Prince Rupert comparing six other northern communities of Fort St. John, Smithers, Prince George, Quesnel, Vanderhoof and Terrace. The report includes a proposed increase to in lieu parking charges from $200 to $12,500 and the addition of electric vehicle parking and bicycle parking in the city.
The full report can be found in the meeting agenda package.
K-J Millar | Journalist
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