Government Greed Knows No Bounds

Are you listening, City of Vernon?
Especially the part about "There is a ripple effect when sales and new homes are postponed or cancelled," president of CHBA-CO said.

Stoni Consolidated Holding would likely agree with that.
Especially when considering how the City of Vernon--whose bluff they have called--cancelled a whole bunch of previously-enacted agreements with the developer.

Anyway, now to this story, as reported today by Capital News Staff writer C.Clow:


"Housing sales drop affect(sic) government income:

Only 2357 homes were sold this June in the Central Okanagan, said the Okanagan Mainline Real Estate Board.  That is 415 fewer homes than the same time last year.  Read a B.C. report here.
Also click on New Homes Data, June 2019 here.

The decline may not seem detrimental, but its effects are far reaching said Cassidy deVeer, president of the Canadian Home Builders' Association Central Okanagan (CHBA-CO).

"There is a ripple effect when sales and new homes are postponed or cancelled," deVeer said.  "It's not just the home builders, but all those who service and supply the industry."

"A flooring supplier representative told me yesterday that his residential sales are way down," she added, noting a new report that cites the impact of the housing sales decrease also on government revenues.

That report, commissioned by the BC Chapter of CHBA, studies the benefits new home construction offers government.  It was not publicly released until now.

The report revealed that one new home built and sold in the Central Okanagan raises more than $94,000 in revenues split by the three levels of government.

"Housing affordability is an issue we hear about often and it's a top concern of all Canadians," deVeer said.

"When buyers hear their homes include more than $94,000 in tax, you get their attention quickly."

The report looked at both fees and taxes directly levied on the construction and sale of new homes and additional revenues generated through income taxes and taxes on the construction materials.

Provincial sales taxes generated by the purchasing of materials was also included, but the report did not take into account the Energy Step Code charges.

"In order to better inform the public before the upcoming federal election, CHBC launched an awareness campaign on housing affordability," continues the news story.

The website affordability.ca summarizes factors affecting home affordability right now.


"Tax me, I'm a BC-er," Kia would've said (thinking of Comrade Horgan's empty homes taxes, etc. etc.)


And Stoni Consolidated is likely saying "tax me, I'm a Vernonite."

The Bluff Worked...Sort Of

Is the City of Vernon "losing face?"
Maybe their noses (first) would be a more appropriate appendage to lose.

Today's story--fast on the heels of Wednesday's publication--reiterates that Stoni's legal counsel informed Stoni that "the developer could no longer rely on the commitments made by the City.  Most of the commitments, said Stoni Consolidated, is(sic) related specifically to permits or city-controlled costs."

Bureaucratic red tape and cancelled commitments by the City of Vernon!

The developer said it would issue deposit refunds to the 46 pre-sale homeowners, and that they would be contacting all homeowners immediately to provide more information and answer specific questions.

Owners' representative Jonathon Campbell said via e-mail two days ago that he did not have a comment for the media.

"Take your refund(s) and run, folks," Kia would've said, adding "By the time the bureaucratic red tape is fixed/minimized by the City, the developer could've built in Armstrong or Kelowna."

Lost face?
The City has definitely lost a future revenue source.
Residents should be furious at the City's stalling and waffling and rule "changes".

Calling the City's Bluff

In a nutshell, the developer is taking his bat and ball and going home because the City of Vernon's "commitments" can't be relied on, despite the developer stating he has jumped through the city's hoops. 

"...the city would be in a position to make changes

 to previously approved draft agreements

 or impose further project costs

 or even change the project...",

 the Developer said.

The City has demanded a signed unconditional closing of the sale agreement, which hasn't been received according to the City administrator.

And the developer's position is that "the increased risk of these actions directly affects the timing and 'the city would be in a position to make changes to previously approved draft agreements or impose further project costs or even change the project as they had threatened to do on May 27 by raising the issue of the 43rd Avenue entrance'."

The story was featured in today's Morning Star newspaper under "Major housing development shuts down".

If it sounds like I am taking sides with the developer, that is correct.

I do have experience with local government--albeit the District of Coldstream next door to Vernon--during my golf course project development in 2000 and 2001.  So I know that the likelihood of local government "tack-ons" is very high indeed.  In my case I was dealing with not only Coldstream, but the Regional District of North Okanagan.

Double whammy, it could be said.

Government appears to be of the opinion that "little tack-ons" can be demanded as adjuncts to approved development permit plans because government has all the rules and yes, they make the rules.

Permits up the wazoo, all needing inspection at each and every little phase of development.  Often by bureaucrats who attend in pairs, discuss progress with one another on site, and then spring another "qualification" onto the developer...drains are needed on sloping ground, that area over there must be paved, a "buffer" must be installed to prevent noise from reaching a neighbour, etc. etc. etc.

The "tack-ons" seem endless and end up costing the developer so much more money!
Money that is already tight.

So, yes, no matter how the newspaper--and the City clerks--portray the developer's lack of adherence to their new tunes (such as an added new entrance on 43rd Avenue!), I believe Stoni Consolidated Holding called the City's bluff.
And cancelled the development, instructing their agents to return deposits for homes pre-purchased.

Unintended consequences?
Certainly for the City.
Certainly for the people who pre-bought; their plans for new homes have now gone Poof!

Let's hope that the general public realizes it is bureaucratic red tape that invariably derails developments.

But all those bureaucrats are likely circling their wagons right now...so that no blame is placed on them for the City's loss of future tax/development dollars.

Good on 'ya, Stoni!

Thistles by the Thousands!

...and yet there's a Noxious Weeds Bylaw at both the City of Vernon and the Regional District.

Is it a case of Do as I say, not as I do?

Or is the City of Vernon and North Okanagan Regional District expecting area homeowners to go across their streets and spray thousands of Thistles with herbicides?

The first humongous invasion of Thistles, almost in full bloom, is on the steep slope on the South side of Hwy 6 (across from the Health Unit), between 15th Street (the 7/11) and about 500 metres past the Speed 80 KPH sign.

The second obvious invasion, albeit somewhat smaller, is further East on Hwy 6, on the right, just before the trees that abut the Search and Rescue Building beside the Regional District Building...at about the location of the "pond" (unaffectionately known to residents as Mosquito Heaven, or Haven).

Prevailing winds are westerly.
So, very soon, millions of thistle seeds will be airborne...heading into Coldstream and Lavington.

Instead of sitting at their desks writing law after bylaw, how about actually performing the duties you so succinctly state belong to homeowners...
especially since these lands are city/regional district lands.

Let's see the thinly-veiled bylaw threats (click text to enlarge)

from here:  http://www.rdno.ca/bylaws/2381_noxious_weeds_fees_charges1.pdf

 

 

Tale of Two Cities?

Okay, Coldstream is a municipality and not a city.
But it's right smack dab adjacent to the City of Vernon.
And that is the problem.

I give Coldstream credit for their recent effort in notifying the homeowner whose property abuts Howe and Mackie Drives.  Tall ugly--and ready to bloom, and spread throughout the valley on westerly winds--thistles lined the homeowner's fence.  Coldstream's Keri-Ann Austin not only immediately replied to my email reporting the thistles, but copied their Roads Supervisor, Mike Pethick.

One thistle...the beginning of thousands and thousands whose seeds spread on the winds.

 

City of Vernon?
Nope, not so much....turns out from their website, that they don't eradicate noxious weeds "for cosmetic reasons".

Interesting, though, that the City of Vernon is quick to have their residents comply, even asking residents to water boulevards...with that very expensive GVW water!

"Obligations of City residents 

City of Vernon Good Neighbour Bylaw # 4980, requires property owners and residents to maintain the boulevard(s) and lane adjacent to their property. The City does not provide this service and does not include any funds in the budget for such work. Most of this work involves landscape cutting, trimming, and watering of grass on the boulevards and lanes. The City encourages property owners and residents to maintain the boulevards for the beautification of our city and the enjoyment of all."

Excerpt from City of Vernon Weed Control page on their website.

While some folks may agree spraying noxious weeds for "cosmetic reasons" isn't a good idea, some weeds are so insidious that they shouldn't be in the same category.

Frankly, I think it's a cop-out by the City of Vernon.

Why?  

Because the City of Vernon Good Neighbour Bylaw #4980 doesn't take into account its adjacent community.  I mean Coldstream's residents, who work hard to keep properties and acreages presentable and free of noxious weeds.

So let's see what happened in Coldstream on Howe/Mackie Drive...this photo shows the neighbour obviously responded to Coldstream's request to not only spray the thistles, but REMOVE them and bag the seeds into the garbage:

thistles were not only sprayed, but their stems/seeds were bagged.  Thank you, Coldstream and Homeowner!

In Vernon?

Not so much, as the saying goes.

Look at these photos of the steep bank above Highway 6 (photo taken from Sarsons Road, just east of Middleton Way, looking north and northeast toward the condos west of Hillview Golf Course).  

Thousands and thousands of noxious thistles ready to blow a new population of thistles east...directly into Coldstream!

Maybe someone should tell the City of Vernon that their new and very expensive signage that welcomes visitors (from the east on Highway 6) needs some work already!

How much did these signs cost?  Already lost the letter "r".  Shoddy!

 

The above photo of "Ve non" was taken from Sarsons Road, looking northwest to the new welcome sign on Highway 6 at the edge of Hillview Golf Course.

"Good neighbour is a misnomer," Kia would've said, suggesting Vernon's bylaw should be called entirely something else.

Thanks, City of Vernon, for not giving a damn about the Coldstream valley.

And don't count on RDNO to care either, even though they have weed ID on their website.

Despite the regional district having an email address (at the bottom here) on their website for "weed control", no emails to them ever receive a reply!  So they might as well cancel that website page, despite it looking good!

Let's end the doublespeak!