CONTENTS Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................... 1 Project Background ........................................................................................................................................................ 1 Project Approach............................................................................................................................................................ 1 Notes to Reader ............................................................................................................................................................. 2 Summary of Research .................................................................................................................................................... 2 Employment Lands in Practice ....................................................................................................................................... 2 Investment Readiness Assessment Findings Relevant to Employment lands ............................................................... 3 RDEK Employment Lands Data ....................................................................................................................................... 4 Next Steps For Consideration......................................................................................................................................... 5 Resources for Land Development .................................................................................................................................. 6 References...................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Appendix 1: Detailed Data by Municipal and Electoral Area ......................................................................................... 8 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The preparation of this report was carried out with assistance from the Province of British Columbia’s Rural Dividend Fund with additional funding from Columbia Basin Trust and the Regional District of East Kootenay. The project was led by the Columbia Basin Rural Development Institute with contributions from local governments, local Chambers of Commerce, business owners and economic development professionals. We acknowledge the following individuals for their contributions to this report: Columbia Basin Rural Development Institute • • • • • • Ingrid Liepa Lauren Rethoret David Greaves Justin Robinson Shalen Block Jamiee Remond Local Government and First Nations • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Mark Read Rory Hromadnik Chris Fields Karen MacLeod Chris McCurry Troy Pollock Darren Brewer Rob Veg Crystal Krefting Patrick Sorfleet Ryma Aneliunas Jeremy Johnston Santana Patten Nicole Jung Shawn Tomlin Susan Clovechok Ryan Watmough Imagine Kootenay • • Lisa Cannady Nikta Boroumand Province of British Columbia • • Gerri Brightwell Richard Toperczer INTRODUCTION Land parcels available for development are important community assets, providing you with a basis to attract a new business, help an existing business to grow, or execute an economic development strategy. 1 PROJECT BACKGROUND The RDEK employment lands inventory was conducted as part of the Columbia Basin Rural Development Institute’s Local Government Economic Development Research and Capacity Building program, a regional-scale economic development initiative focused on business attraction, land development, and economic resilience for the Kootenay and Boundary regions. Funded by the Province of BC’s Rural Dividend Fund in 2019, a total of $500,000 from the Province of BC was matched with $250,000 from Columbia Basin Trust and the Regional Districts of East Kootenay (RDEK), Central Kootenay (RDCK), Kootenay Boundary (RDKB), and the Town of Golden. The program included direct research to support local government economic development decision-making. The RDEK’s identified priorities for direct research were the completion of corridor-level investment readiness assessments for the Elk Valley, Columbia Valley and Kimberley-Cranbrook corridors, and preparation of a GIS-based employment lands inventory for the region that provides data used for site selection. This report provides a summary of the employment lands project, including an overview of employment lands in the region and associated data, as well as opportunities for communities, corridors and the region to build on this work. PROJECT APPROACH Employment lands refer to privately and publicly owned properties that support industrial, commercial, retail, agricultural and other land uses that employ people in a variety of jobs and a diversity of sectors (e.g. manufacturing, sales and service, food production, etc.). The RDI’s project team undertook the following core steps to compile the employment lands inventory: 1. Researched the current state of employment lands inventories and related initiatives with a focus on British Columbia, including site selection criteria commonly applied in major site selection processes. 2. Conducted an information workshop on employment lands and investment readiness in the Elk Valley and Columbia Valley in partnership with regional managers from the Province’s regional economic operations branch. Primary invitees were members of the Elk Valley Economic Initiative and Columbia Valley Community Economic Development Advisory Cou. Economic development stakeholders from the Kimberley – Cranbrook corridor were invited to participate in person or via Zoom. 3. Identified and compiled provincial mapping layers relevant to RDEK employment lands. 4. Identified and compiled relevant zoning and servicing mapping layers from municipalities, ?aq’am, and the RDEK. 5. Classified municipal and regional zoning designations into five major categories of employment lands: • • • • • Heavy industrial Light industrial Commercial/retail Agriculture Mixed use and four major categories of surrounding zones: • • • • Public Recreation/resort Residential Rural resource 1 6. Prepared a draft lands inventory for stakeholder review. 7. Revised and updated the draft inventory based on stakeholder feedback. This included adding a real-time data feed of investment opportunities from Imagine Kootenay and adding “featured investment lands” identified by municipalities. 8. Requested that municipalities indicate interest in an annual subscription service to update the RDEK employment lands inventory either quarterly or semi-annually. NOTES TO READER The RDEK employment lands inventory can be accessed via this link: https://selkirk.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=aa67d37e046c4723a8a64a5ef1ccde3d Readers are urged to take note of the following caveats in respect of the RDEK employment lands inventory and data: • Classification of agricultural lands includes: o All parcels specifically zoned for agriculture by municipalities or the RDEK. o Parcels fully within the provincial Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR). Parcels that are only partially within the ALR are excluded. o Some agricultural operations in the RDEK are outside the ALR on lands with rural resource zoning. Several such parcels were identified manually and included in the agriculture zone of interest; however, there are likely to be additional parcels of this nature that have not been identified and included in the inventory as agriculture lands. o Based on the preceding, it is possible that the volume of agricultural land in the RDEK has been underestimated. • BC Assessment data licensing requirements preclude identification of vacant parcels on the inventory; however, aggregate data on vacant lands is presented later in this report. • Underutilized parcels were not identified as part of this project. Underutilized land is generally defined as locations that are chronically vacant and do not contribute services or amenities to the community while having potential for more productive uses. Categories of underutilized land may include brownfields, bluefields, vacant lots, surface parking lots and vacant buildings.2 SUMMARY OF RESEARCH Almost every region in the world that has been truly successful in inbound investment and business expansion and retention (BRE) has effectively developed working relationships at a regional level to promote, facilitate and service lands. Conversely, research on the regions / communities that are struggling to attract investment and grow / retain businesses shows they are usually working in silos and are often at odds with neighbouring communities.3 EMPLOYMENT LANDS IN PRACTICE Employment lands are not an ends but a means to sustainable employment. Simply supplying serviced lands is not enough to generate investment interest to spur economic growth or sustain an economy, but rather needs to be a component of economic development and treated in this manner. 4 This project addresses a key component of a larger continuum of activities associated with investment preparedness, planning for land development and investment attraction. In assembling employment lands information, the RDEK and its economic corridors and communities now have greater access to data and greater visibility of employment lands with which to inform economic development activities at multiple scales. 2 The strategic development of employment lands within a region can serve as a catalyst for economic growth and increased regional prosperity. It provides an opportunity to step outside of community-focused economic development silos and work towards a more coordinated and strategic regional approach to land development that seeks optimization of investment and activities on available vacant and underutilized employment lands according to the unique strengths, attributes and zoning realities of each community in the region. An employment lands inventory offers a jumping off point for the strategic identification of priority investment lands, zones or corridors for new industrial, commercial, agricultural or other growth. This can, in turn, inform both community and corridor-level land use and economic development priorities and planning, and further inquiry into current and future projections of land supply and demand. In this way a lands inventory provides key inputs for the development of a corridor-level employment lands strategy and/or action plan aimed at attracting investments that preserve a community’s vital qualities. To design communities that work for both people and businesses and encourage economic growth, local governments need to carefully consider community planning, zoning and land use regulations and the business operating environment. Establishing the right mix of residential, commercial and industrial zones is key to creating a vibrant and sustainable community.5 When specific lands or zones have been clearly identified and targeted for development, municipalities are better positioned to take steps to make those lands investment ready, which includes appropriate zoning and servicing. INVESTMENT READINESS ASSESSMENT FINDINGS RELEVANT TO EMPLOYMENT LANDS Several lands-related questions were asked as part of the corridor-level investment readiness assessment, with a synopsis of responses provided below. Further details can be found in the investment readiness assessment reports for each corridor. Table 1: Summary of lands-related responses from investment readiness assessment interviews Question Columbia Valley Kimberley-Cranbrook Elk Valley Does your community / corridor have an inventory of available land that includes details of sites that meet site selector needs? Communities: Canal Flats and Invermere Communities: Kimberley and Cranbrook Communities: Fernie and Elkford Corridor: No Corridor: No Corridor: No Does your community / corridor stay up to date with what’s available in terms of lands and investment opportunities? Communities: Radium Communities: Kimberley Communities: Elkford Corridor: No formal process Corridor: No Corridor: No Does your community / corridor work with real estate companies and other organizations to promote land to prospective buyers outside the community? Communities: Imagine Kootenay Corridor: Imagine Kootenay Communities: No Communities: No Corridor: No Corridor: No Does your community have up to date plans for providing water and sewer servicing to commercial or industrial lands targeted for development? Communities: Radium, Canal Flats Communities: Kimberley and Cranbrook Communities: Elkford, Fernie and Sparwood 3 The investment readiness assessments identified the following lands-related opportunities for all corridors: • Utilize the RDEK Employment Lands Inventory (which includes investment opportunities listed with Imagine Kootenay) to highlight available investment lands in the East Kootenay. • Develop corridor-level employment lands strategies to guide and facilitate development of vacant and underutilized lands. The Employment Lands Report prepared for the Regional District of North Okanagan in 2016 may be a useful resource if this opportunity is of interest.6 • Consider going through a mock site selector process to develop a better understanding of strengths and gaps in investment readiness. • Explore interest and capacity to strengthen land identification and promotion to outside investors. This could include forging stronger connections with local realtors to work synergistically on promoting local investment opportunities to outside parties. RDEK EMPLOYMENT LANDS DATA The following tables provide summary-level insights on RDEK employment lands at various scales. Detailed community-level data is provided in Appendix 1. Table 2: Regional District of East Kootenay (Total) Area (ha) % Vacant % Unknown # vacant parcels total parcels Agriculture 52062.4 1.5 0.5 42 2832 Commercial 2477.3 8.5 2.8 175 2049 Heavy 9783.0 34.4 0.0 99 288 Light 2407.0 12.8 3.0 78 609 Mixed Use 497.1 1.5 50.6 11 712 Table 3: RDEK Municipalities Only (Total) Area (ha) % Vacant % Unknown # vacant parcels total parcels Agriculture 3944.9 0.5 7.3 1 206 Commercial 321.0 9.2 3.0 163 1774 Heavy 9246.9 38.4 0.0 99 258 Light 1212.6 13.9 1.6 77 552 Mixed Use 476.5 1.6 51.3 11 702 Table 4: Elk Valley (Elkford, Sparwood, Fernie, Area A)* Area (ha) % Vacant % Unknown # vacant parcels total parcels Agriculture 3304.8 0.0 0.6 0 363 Commercial 1985.7 10.8 19.7 29 269 Heavy 8915.1 5.0 0.0 1 20 Light 434.0 10.3 5.5 15 146 Mixed Use 195.1 0.0 100.0 0 319 * The large volume of commercial land in the Elk Valley is a result of Fernie Alpine Resort (just under 2000 ha) being classified as commercial lands. Table 5: Southeast Kootenay (Kimberley, Cranbrook, Areas C and E)** Area (ha) % Vacant % Unknown Agriculture 3960.8 1.5 0.0 # vacant parcels total parcels 17 1082.0 4 Commercial 302.7 7.2 0.0 98 1349.0 Heavy 123.9 10.7 0.0 3 28.0 Light 1362.4 17.1 0.6 54 360.0 Mixed Use 163.1 1.6 0.0 2 124.0 ** This table does not include 5177.2 ha of ?aq’am lands earmarked for light industrial, solar energy, agriculture, and/or small scale retail activities. Table 6: Columbia Valley (Canal Flats, Invermere, Radium, Areas F and G) Area (ha) % Vacant % Unknown # vacant parcels total parcels Agriculture 44316.6 2.1 1.1 25 1185 Commercial 143.8 13.3 0.3 48 406 Heavy 744.0 21.7 0.0 95 240 Light 264.7 10.1 0.0 9 89 Mixed Use 118.3 4.3 19.6 9 259 NEXT STEPS FOR CONSIDERATION The following items indicate potential next steps that can be taken by municipalities or corridor-level economic development groups to build on the current inventory: 1. Link or embed the employment lands inventory to municipal or corridor-level economic development webpages • Link: https://selkirk.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=aa67d37e046c4723a8a64a5 ef1ccde3d • Embed code (HTML):
2. Maintain the employment lands inventory Maintaining the currency of the employment lands inventory is necessary if East Kootenay local governments intend to use the web map to support future investment attraction or planning. Selkirk College has provided all East Kootenay local governments with details of a subscription service for regular updates to data layers related to zoning, servicing, development permit areas, and featured investment lands. 3. Develop corridor-level employment lands strategies and action plans Develop corridor-level employment lands strategies informed by land supply and demand and use this to identify priority investment zones, target specific sectors of interest, and guide and facilitate development and investment readiness of key vacant and underutilized lands in alignment with community and corridor aspirations. 5 RESOURCES FOR LAND DEVELOPMENT The Province of British Columbia offers an online Land Development Toolkit and supporting resources for communities and regions wishing to strengthen land development efforts. • Land Development Toolkit • Land Development and Marketing Readiness Checklist • Business Friendly Environment for Land Development • Site Selection • Marketing for Land Development Other resources of potential interest include: • Ontario investment ready site certification program • Employment Lands Report for the Regional District of North Okanagan • Employment and Industrial Lands-based FDI Strategy for the Comox Valley • Kamloops Site Selector Guide 6 REFERENCES 1 Province of British Columbia. (2020). Land Development Toolkit. Retrieved from https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/employment-business/economic-development/market-and-attract/landdevelopment-toolkit 2 V3 Companies of Canada Ltd. (2018). City of Regina Underutilized Land Study. Retrieved from https://www.regina.ca/export/sites/Regina.ca/business-development/land-propertydevelopment/.galleries/pdfs/Planning/Undertulized-Land-Study.pdf 3 Urban Systems Ltd. (2016). Employment Lands Report for the Regional District of North Okanagan. Retrieved from http://www.rdno.ca/docs/160426_RELAP_Final_Print_reduced.pdf 4 Ibid. 5 Province of British Columbia. (2020). Community Readiness for Land Development. Retrieved from https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/employment-business/economic-development/market-and-attract/landdevelopment-toolkit/community-readiness-for-land-development 6 Urban Systems Ltd. (2016). Employment Lands Report for the Regional District of North Okanagan. Retrieved from http://www.rdno.ca/docs/160426_RELAP_Final_Print_reduced.pdf 7 APPENDIX 1: DETAILED DATA BY MUNICIPAL AND ELECTORAL AREA Fernie Area (ha) % Vacant % Unknown # vacant parcels Agriculture 8.1 100 0 Commercial 29.2 100 0 Heavy 0.0 100 0 Light 11.6 100 0 Mixed Use 195.1 100 0 Elkford Area (ha) % Vacant % Unknown # vacant parcels Agriculture 0 0 0 0 Commercial 19.4 38.3 0 23 Heavy 0 0 0 0 Light 21.4 30.6 0 11 Mixed Use 0 0 0 0 Sparwood Area (ha) % Vacant % Unknown # vacant parcels Agriculture 2681.6 0 0 0 Commercial 53.4 5.2 0 6 Heavy 8787.6 11.1 0 1 Light 273.4 4.3 0 4 Mixed Use 0.0 0 0 0 Invermere Area (ha) % Vacant % Unknown # vacant parcels Agriculture 0 0 0 0 Commercial 16.6 25.0 0 39 Heavy 20.9 45.2 0 95 Light 41.8 13.4 0 9 Mixed Use 3.6 0 0 0 Canal Flats Area (ha) % Vacant % Unknown # vacant parcels Agriculture 953.3 0.0 37.1 0 Commercial 12.2 14.3 14.3 1 Heavy 333.1 0.0 0 0 Light 180.4 0.0 0 0 Mixed Use 43.3 11.8 53.9 9 Area (ha) % Vacant % Unknown # vacant parcels Agriculture 151.4 0 0 0 Commercial 18.4 0 0 0 Heavy 29.1 0 0 0 Light 24.0 0 0 0 Radium 8 Mixed Use 71.4 0 0 0 Cranbrook Area (ha) % Vacant % Unknown # vacant parcels Agriculture 150.5 5.9 0 1 Commercial 153.1 6.8 0 61 Heavy 76.2 13.0 0 3 Light 487.7 13.3 0 38 Mixed Use 163.1 1.6 0 2 Kimberley Area (ha) % Vacant % Unknown # vacant parcels Agriculture 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 Commercial 18.7 8.4 0.0 33 Heavy 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 Light 172.2 31.3 2.1 15 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 RDEK Area A Area (ha) % Vacant % Unknown # vacant parcels Agriculture 615.2 0 0 0 Commercial 2142.6 0 0 0 Heavy 127.5 0 0 0 Light 127.6 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 RDEK Area B Area (ha) % Vacant % Unknown # vacant parcels Agriculture 480.1 0 0 0 Commercial 45.0 0 12 0 Heavy 0.0 0 0 0 Light 345.9 0 64.3 0 Mixed Use 20.6 0 0 0 RDEK Area C Area (ha) % Vacant % Unknown # vacant parcels Agriculture 2818.0 1.7 0 14 Commercial 70.5 4.0 0 1 Heavy 47.7 0.0 0 0 Light 331.8 10.0 0 1 0.0 0.0 0 0 RDEK Area E Area (ha) % Vacant % Unknown # vacant parcels Agriculture 992.3 0.9 0 2 Commercial 60.4 8.3 0 3 Heavy 0.0 0.0 0 0 Light 370.6 0.0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 Mixed Use Mixed Use Mixed Use Mixed Use 9 RDEK Area F Area (ha) % Vacant % Unknown # vacant parcels Agriculture 22370.6 2.8 0 17 Commercial 77.7 7.6 0 8 Heavy 9.7 0.0 0 0 Light 16.4 0.0 0 0 Mixed Use 0.0 0.0 0 0 RDEK Area G Area (ha) % Vacant % Unknown # vacant parcels Agriculture 20841.4 1.5 0 8 Commercial 18.8 0.0 0 0 Heavy 351.2 0.0 0 0 Light 2.0 0.0 0 0 Mixed Use 0.0 0.0 0 0 ?aq'am Area (ha) % Vacant % Unknown # vacant parcels Agriculture 0.0 0 0 0 Commercial 0.0 0 0 0 Heavy 0.0 0 0 0 Light 0.0 0 0 0 5177.2 0 100 0 Mixed Use 10