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Council to review BIA bylaw

Squamish council voted Tuesday (May 16) to review a bylaw passed earlier this month approving a controversial downtown Business Improvement Area (BIA) in downtown Squamish.

Squamish council voted Tuesday (May 16) to review a bylaw passed earlier this month approving a controversial downtown Business Improvement Area (BIA) in downtown Squamish.

The motion to review the bylaw came after a presentation to council by BIA opponents criticized the process because of lack of support and because two large sectors of downtown business, the Chieftain Plaza and Squamish Station Mall, were exempt.

"This was a flawed process," said downtown property owner Paul Lalli during a presentation to council Tuesday. "Others were opted out. I was asked to be opted out and was told I can't."

On May 2, Squamish council voted to include businesses on Loggers Lane, Cleveland Avenue and Second Avenue from Winnipeg Street to Westminster Street in a BIA despite a counterpetition resulting in 50 per cent of property owners opposed and a district staff recommendation to veto the proposal.

The counterpetition failed according to provincial legislation because only 38.5 per cent of assessed land value was represented by those who signed.

On May 16, Lalli presented council with a new petition of downtown business merchants showing what he called "a huge lack of support". All but five downtown business merchants were asked to sign a petition requesting the BIA bylaw be rescinded, and all but 13 of those asked signed the petition, said Lalli.

"They're quite clearly opposed," he said.

Mayor Ian Sutherland said he still supports the BIA but "recognizes there's apprehension". He made a request that council reconsider the bylaw, gather information over the next three weeks, and reconvene over the matter on June 6. Lalli said he is "very pleased" with the decision.

Provincial legislation governing municipalities allows a council to rescind a bylaw within 30 days. Sutherland said tax assessments will go out with the additional BIA allocation of $1.25 per $1,000 of assessed commercial property value, but if council decides to rescind the bylaw, those taxes will not be due on July 2.

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