Downtown merchants and commercial property owners are mobilizing to rescind a recently adopted bylaw imposing a Business Improvement Area (BIA) upon the downtown.
A large percentage of business and property owners are vehemently denouncing the BIA process as undemocratic, according to downtown property owner Paul Lalli.
Lalli, a former councillor and mayoral candidate, is spearheading a campaign to have the decision overturned with a petition he hopes to bring to the Tuesday (May 16) council meeting.
"I'm speaking up on behalf of everyone with this petition," said Lalli. "From the Ocean Port, to the August Jack, the Chieftain Hotel, myself [Garibaldi Lanes Bowling], the Drenka Properties, the guy that bought the Fields building and Mr. [Wilf] Dowad's building, these are just some names of people who have opposed it, and their merchants are also opposing."
Squamish council voted to dedicate a large portion of downtown Squamish to BIA May 2, despite a counterpetition with 50 per cent of property owners opposed, and a district staff recommendation to veto the proposal.
The counterpetition failed because only 38.5 per cent of assessed land value was represented by those voting no.
Council listened to stakeholders before voting to support the BIA and heard only from BIA proponents' spokesperson, Squamish Town Centre Association president Mohammad Afsar. That's because anti-BIA petitioners were led to believe council would vote down the BIA as per staff recommendation, said Lalli. He also noted that Afsar is not a downtown commercial property owner, and the association's membership equates to a very small percentage of downtown merchants.
Afsar said the process is complete and now the downtown has to move forward as one.
"Regardless whether it is overwhelming or just meeting requirements, these are the rules of the game and therefore it would be now in the interest of everybody including those who may petition against to move forward and make sure that the intent and purposes of the BIA are met and the ills of the downtown are taken care of," said Afsar. "We have a vibrant business community and that's the whole idea."
Lalli said the whole process is undemocratic due in part to the counter petitioning approach which forces those opposed to the BIA to speak up and assumes the remaining quiet owners support the idea. One problem with the system, according to Lalli, is that some of the properties that make up the remaining 61.5 per cent of assessed value are vacant. Lalli said he's in the middle of a Freedom of Information request that will allow him to audit the properties. Another problem for Lalli is that the BIA affects only Loggers Lane, Cleveland Avenue and Second Avenue from Winnipeg to Westminster Street. Two large sectors of downtown business, the Chieftain Plaza and Squamish Station Mall, were exempt after a survey of downtown businesses resulted in the malls' negative response.
"So how come others didn't have the opportunity to opt out as well?" said Lalli. "I'd like to be opted out, so why not exclude me?"
Commercial property owners must now pay $1.25 per $1,000 of their assessed value and that is unaffordable, said Lalli. He said he'd be in favour of the BIA if the process had been directed at the grassroots level, not at the district level.
If those opposing the BIA had clearly been in the minority, Lalli said, he wouldd abide by the results. Lalli pointed out not only are 50 per cent of property owners opposed, but the majority of the buildings' merchants - who, as tenants, are likely to take on the cost of the tax - are also overwhelmingly against the idea.
"What we have seen at the grassroots level is people don't want this tax," said Lalli.
Lalli said he and Mayor Ian Sutherland have "agreed to disagree" but he nonetheless hopes to make it onto the May 16 council meeting agenda. Only the mayor can reintroduce a bylaw for consideration after it has passed and if Sutherland refuses, Lalli will request a member of council put forward a notice of motion to revisit the issue.
Merchants are meeting at the Ocean Port Hotel Saturday (May 13) at noon to discuss options for opposing the BIA.
