EMPLOYMENT LANDS FINAL REPORT ________________________________________________________________________ U NDERSTANDING SUPPLY , DEMAND , & UTILIZATION OF WEALTH GENERATING LANDS IN THE C OLUMBIA B ASIN -B OUNDARY R EGION OF BC F ALL 2014 The Columbia Basin Rural Development Institute, at Selkirk College, is a regional research centre that supports informed decision-making by Columbia Basin-Boundary communities through the provision of information, applied research and related outreach and extension support. Visit www.cbrdi.ca for more information. Employment Lands Final Report EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of this research project was to better understand the landscape of wealth generating lands in the Columbia Basin-Boundary region of BC. An integrated economic development-geospatial lands analysis was undertaken to better understand opportunities and constraints related to ‘employment lands’ in the region. With an improved regional-level understanding of the ‘employment lands’ landscape, the region will be in a better position to attract and retain business and investment. This research also supports informed land use planning. The project drew primarily on three datasets to explore land supply and possible constraints, including: government cadastral data from local sources and the Integrated Cadastral Information Society (ICIS), BC Assessment data, and business retention and expansion (BRE) data. Cadastral and BC Assessment data was used to better understand land supply and BRE data was used to better understand demand. Supplemental data generated from interactions with economic development practitioners and from statistical data sources were used to better understand the regional economy and related economic capacity considerations. The regional economy is in its third year of recovery since the recession. The overall employment level has now surpassed the pre-recession high. Job growth fuelled by the service sector, the continued shift toward full-time employment, and a significant decrease in business bankruptcies are all positive developments. Investment in major capital projects is also on the rise, and data from the Invest Kootenay Partnership (IKP) evidences an increase in regionally supported investment attraction with the IKP supporting 32 investments totalling $6.5 million over the last 5 years. Findings from interviews and online surveys administered to 684 businesses from across the region highlight possible regional economic assets and gaps. Findings suggest access to suppliers and markets (including proximity to the US border and couriers), highway and road infrastructure, inspections and licensing, and waste management are key government services assets. Findings also suggest possible gaps exist in the availability of warehousing, key infrastructure assets (access to port facilities, rail transport, airport access, telecommunications), development approval processes, and the availability of lands for expansion (appropriately zoned lands for lease or sale). Business climate factors related to workforce development (K-12, Colleges, workforce quality), workforce attraction and retention (cultural and recreation amenities), and business supports (Community Futures, Chambers of Commerce) are key business climate assets. Findings also suggest gaps exist within some aspects of workforce development (technical training), workforce attraction and retention (availability and stability, housing), business supports (Business Improvement Areas, tourism services), and economic development (local tax structure, local business climate, local government). Economic development practitioners (EDPs) provided their collective rating on indicators related to economic development capacity at an annual gathering of EDPs from across the region. Data generated suggest that the region has a track record of successful economic development projects, communities are connected with in-region business supports, there is a commitment to economic development on behalf of local leadership, and there are diverse stakeholders involved in economic development. Capacity challenges are apparent with respect to knowledge of economic development by elected officials and local government staff, and a lack of history of crosssectoral collaboration on community projects. Findings suggest there is an adequate supply of commercial and industrial lands in the majority of the regions’ corridors. It is important to note that this analysis did not include an analysis of topographic data or real estate data and therefore it is unclear if the identified vacant land supply is on a useable slope and / or is available for sale or lease. There are a total of 536 vacant commercial parcels covering 4,447 hectares of land and 477 vacant industrial parcels covering 16,770 hectares of land. There appear to be some constraints on the commercial land supply in the Elk Valley with only 8 vacant parcels and 37 hectares of land identified. There also appear to be some possible limitations to the industrial lands supply in the Elk Valley (only 2 parcels and 8 hectares of land vacant) and Columbia Valley Corridors (only 2 parcels and 210 hectares of land vacant), although findings at this stage are inconclusive for these corridors due to missing zoning data from Canal Flats, Elkford, Fernie, and Invermere. It should be noted that real estate listing data was not available at the time of report writing and it is therefore unknown how many of these parcels are available for purchase or lease. Employment Lands Final Report Availability of commercial lands within municipalities is often preferred as the retail sector relies on proximity to customers. The majority (83%) of vacant commercial parcels (447 of 536 parcels) and 65% of commercial land area (2,883 of 4,447 hectares) is located within municipalities. 75% of vacant industrial parcels (358 of 477) and 17% of available industrial land area (2,772 of 16,770 hectares) is located within municipalities. Findings suggest that there may be a limited supply of commercial lands available within municipalities within the Elk Valley Corridor, although it is important again to note that zoning data was not available for Fernie or Elkford at the time of report writing and as a result the strength of findings related to this corridor is limited. High concentrations of industrial lands within municipalities can create challenges as they can sometimes conflict with residential use. Findings reveal relatively high concentrations of vacant industrial lands within municipal boundaries in the Elk Valley Corridor (2 of 2 parcels, 8 of 8 hectares), Revelstoke Corridor (24 of 25 parcels, 365 of 430 hectares), Southeast Kootenay Corridor (70 of 81 parcels, 478 of 1,772 hectares) and West Kootenay Corridors (245 of 313 hectares, 1,863 of 4,448 hectares). It is important to note that a number of regional district areas do not have zoning and therefore have an impact on this level of analysis. There is a relatively limited supply of vacant federal and provincial crown commercial lands, with the exception of 17 parcels in the Boundary Corridor covering a land area of 111 hectares. There is also a limited supply of vacant federal and provincial crown industrial lands, with the exception of 46 parcels in the West Kootenay Corridor covering 2,939 hectares and 28 parcels in the Boundary Corridor covering 4,097 hectares. It is important to note that the majority of vacant parcels are provincial crown lands. There is also a relatively limited supply of vacant municipal commercial land with the exception of 54 West Kootenay Corridor parcels covering 34 hectares and 39 commercial parcels in the Boundary Corridor covering 60 hectares. There is also a limited supply of vacant municipal industrial lands, with the exception of 24 parcels in the Boundary Corridor covering 1,232 hectares and 30 parcels in the West Kootenay Corridor covering 111 hectares. While business retention and expansion (BRE) data generated from interviews with businesses in the region suggest that a lack of appropriately zoned lands may be a barrier to expansion in some areas and for some sectors, a cross-analysis against existing vacant lands suggests that the barrier may be more of a matching problem. There is an ample supply of vacant commercial lands in all communities where retail trade companies reported a barrier to expansion. Further, there is an ample supply of vacant industrial lands in all communities were manufacturing companies reported a barrier to expansion, with the exception of the Elk Valley Corridor where the supply of industrial land is limited. It is important to note that while this analysis identifies vacant lands, available data did not allow for the identification of vacant lands that are for sale. Data suggest that, in general, the region’s commercial and industrial lands are effectively being utilized, and there is an ample supply of available lands for expansion and new investment. 95% of the regions’ commercial parcels (9,493 of 10,029) are being utilized, including 66% of the commercial land base (76,436 of 80,884 hectares). 75% of the regions’ industrial parcels (1425 of 1902) are being utilized, including 81% of the industrial land base (72,679 of 89,446 hectares). There may, however, be some overutilization / constraints to expansion and new investment of commercial lands in the Elk Valley, Columbia Valley and Valemount Corridors and of industrial lands in the Elk Valley Corridor. Commercial lands also appear to be somewhat underutilized in the Valemount Corridor and industrial lands appear to be somewhat underutilized in the West Kootenay, Boundary and Valemount Corridors. In terms of constraints to use, data suggest primary factors that may constrain the use of available employment lands include conflicting land use in cases where impact may impede adjacent lands (i.e. watersheds) and the presence or absence of an Official Community Plan (investors prefer clear land use designations and restrictions). In order to facilitate expansion and new investment in light of findings that suggest a matching problem between investors and available lands, a site selector tool was developed. Existing businesses, new investors and economic development practitioners are encouraged to use and provide feedback on this tool. Also, the utility of the inventory and relevance of related tools is dependent on accurate and up-to-date data. Planning departments are encouraged to work with the RDI to address identified data gaps and to continue to provide requested data on an annual basis. Finally, the region is encouraged to engage in development planning processes at a regional scale in order to capture landscape level land use opportunities and possible conflicts. Employment Lands Final Report CONTENTS Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 6 Regional Economy......................................................................................................................................... 6 Methodology............................................................................................................................................... 10 Results ......................................................................................................................................................... 12 Regional Economic Assets and Gaps ....................................................................................................... 12 Access to Markets, Regulatory Framework, Infrastructure & Lands .................................................. 12 Workforce, Business Supports & Economic Development Climate .................................................... 13 Economic Development Capacity ....................................................................................................... 14 Lands to Accommodate Investment and Business Growth .................................................................... 15 Vacant Commercial And Industrial Lands ........................................................................................... 16 Other Vacant Lands ............................................................................................................................. 18 Employment Lands within Municipalities ........................................................................................... 18 Crown Employment Lands .................................................................................................................. 20 Employment Lands Utilization ............................................................................................................ 26 Possible Constraints To Expansion and New Investment ................................................................... 27 Perspectives of Businesses on Land Zoning Expansion Constraints ................................................... 31 RDI Tools to Support Expansion and New Investment ........................................................................... 33 Community Employment Lands Inventories ....................................................................................... 33 Community Profiles............................................................................................................................. 33 Site Selector Tool: Matching Available Lands to Investor Needs........................................................ 33 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................... 35 Possible Next Steps ..................................................................................................................................... 36 Appendix A. Data Tables ............................................................................................................................... 1 Appendix B. Retail Trade Area Maps ............................................................................................................ 1 Employment Lands Final Report INTRODUCTION The purpose of this research project was to better understand the landscape of wealth generating lands in the Columbia Basin-Boundary region of BC. With an improved regional-level understanding of the region’s ‘employment lands’ landscape, the region will be in a better position to make informed land use decisions and attract and retain business and investment. The project aimed to explore assets and gaps in the region’s employment lands landscape, assess whether employment lands can accommodate investment and business growth, and explore the utilization of existing employment lands. Researchers from the Columbia Basin Rural Development Institute (RDI) and Selkirk Geospatial Research Centre (SGRC) at Selkirk College worked under the guidance of a regional advisory committee and the project sponsor: Community Futures East Kootenay. Community Futures East Kootenay, the Province of BC, the Southern Interior Beetle Action Coalition, and Columbia Basin Trust provided funding for this 2year applied research project. The primary goals of the project were to: x produce a regional baseline employment lands, infrastructure and related economic assets inventory database and web-based geospatial tool, x assess whether there is an adequate inventory (supply) of employment lands available for the development of new or expanding investment and job creation, x bring together key stakeholders to generate regional discussion and analysis of the employment lands landscape, and x create a geospatial site selector tool designed to identify land parcels demonstrating userspecified attributes. The following questions guided the research: 1. 2. 3. 4. What assets and gaps exist in the region’s employment lands inventory? Can the region’s employment lands accommodate investment and business growth? Are there areas where existing employment lands are being underutilized? What factors might constrain the use of employment lands? Primary data sources included cadastral data from local governments 1 and the Integrated Cadastral Information Society (ICIS), BC Assessment Roll data, and data generated from the Regional Business Retention and Expansion project. Preliminary findings were presented to local government representatives and economic development practitioners at six regional forums held in May 2014 allowing key stakeholders the opportunity to validate and discuss results. This report provides an overview of the regional economy, research methodology, and project results according to guiding research questions. It also presents opportunities for future research and policy considerations. REGIONAL ECONOMY Located in the southeast corner of British Columbia, the Basin-Boundary region includes the Regional Districts of East Kootenay, Central Kootenay and Kootenay Boundary (collectively, the Kootenay Development Region), in addition to Revelstoke, Golden, Valemount and Columbia Shuswap Regional District Areas A and B. With a population of 161,741 and an approximate land area of 83,171 sq. km, the region accounts for 3.7% of the population and 9% of the area of British Columbia. The regional economy is primarily resource-based with forestry and mining as key economic drivers, alongside tourism. This profile relies on the Kootenay Development Region to represent the Basin-Boundary region as a whole. Northern portions of the Basin-Boundary region are included in the Thompson-Okanagan and 1 Multi-year data sharing agreements are now in place with regional districts and municipalities in the region. Cariboo Development Regions, both of which include major economic centres (Kelowna and Prince George, respectively) within their borders. Employment figures for the Thompson-Okanagan and Cariboo Development Regions are often heavily influenced by these major centres, and therefore not representative of the majority of the Basin-Boundary region. As highlighted in Table 1, the Kootenay Development Region economy employs 77,900 people. The largest goods-producing sectors are construction (7,600 jobs), forestry, fishing, mining, oil and gas (6,200), and manufacturing (5,700). The largest service-producing sectors are trade (12,600), health care and social assistance (10,700), and accommodation and food services (7,400) 2. Table 1. Employment, Kootenay Development Region, 2008-2013 (all figures in 000s) Sector 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Total, all industries Goods-producing sector Construction Forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, oil and gas Manufacturing Agriculture Utilities Services-producing sector Trade Health care and social assistance Accommodation and food services Educational services Professional, scientific and technical services Transportation and warehousing Information, culture and recreation Other services Finance, insurance, real estate and leasing Public administration Business, building and other support services Unclassified industries 71.6 22.0 8.0 71.0 20.8 8.5 69.4 22.5 7.4 72.1 21.2 8.2 74.8 21.5 7.7 77.9 21.7 7.6 5 Yr Job Creation 6.3 -0.3 -0.4 6.9 4.8 5.0 5.3 7.0 6.2 -0.7 4.7 2.4 0.0 49.5 12.7 6.1 7.4 4.9 4.6 2.3 0.0 50.2 14.0 9.5 5.6 3.4 7.7 1.7 0.0 46.9 11.8 8.2 5.7 2.9 6.1 0.0 0.0 50.9 10.1 9.2 6.9 3.5 4.9 0.0 0.0 53.2 10.8 9.8 6.4 5.9 5.7 1.6 0.0 56.3 12.6 10.7 7.4 4.6 1.0 -0.8 0.0 6.8 -0.1 4.6 0.0 -0.3 3.5 2.3 2.3 2.7 4.0 3.9 0.4 3.3 3.1 2.8 3.0 1.9 3.1 2.4 2.7 2.9 3.3 2.4 4.0 2.6 2.6 4.5 3.6 3.3 2.8 0.3 0.2 0.0 2.3 2.7 2.3 2.8 1.8 2.7 0.4 1.8 1.9 2.6 2.8 2.7 2.6 0.8 1.6 2.7 3.2 3.2 2.1 2.1 0.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Between 2012 and 2013, the Kootenay Development Region experienced the creation of 3,100 new jobs primarily in the service-producing sector, marking the third successive year of job growth. A total increase of 6,300 jobs occurred between 2008 and 2013. Primary growth sectors were in the servicesproducing sector, including health care and social assistance (4,600 jobs), public administration (800), and business, building and other support services (500). Manufacturing also experienced an increase in job growth (1,000) over the last five years 3. The unemployment rate, which measures the number of unemployed individuals as a share of the labour force, fell for the third consecutive year and is now at 5.2%. The region’s unemployment rate is 2 3 Source: Statistics Canada. (2014). Labour Force Survey Custom Table. Ibid. Employment Lands Final Report second lowest in the province in comparison to other development regions and is below the provincial average (6.6%) 4. Table 2. Business Counts by Industry and # of Employees, Kootenay Development Region, 2013 Sector Indeterminate 5 Less than 20 20 to 49 50 to 199 200 plus Total with Employees All Sizes % of Total No. of Businesses 421 182 30 6,267 31,488 100.0% Total, All Industries 25,221 5,634 Real Estate & Rental & Leasing 8,905 317 6 4 0 327 9,232 29.3% Construction Professional, Scientific & Technical Services Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting Retail Trade (44-45) Other Services (excl. Public Administration) Health Care & Social Assistance Admin. & Support, Waste Mgmt. & Remediation. Accommodation & Food Services 2,577 860 26 10 0 896 3,473 11.0% 2,279 470 15 8 0 493 2,772 8.8% 2,097 347 23 8 0 378 2,475 7.9% 1,276 799 68 26 3 896 2,172 6.9% 1,467 556 14 4 0 574 2,041 6.5% 1,052 493 35 30 6 564 1,616 5.1% 1,150 202 11 6 0 219 1,369 4.3% 764 452 89 14 3 558 1,322 4.2% Arts, Entertainment & Recreation Transportation & Warehousing (4849) Manufacturing (31-33) 689 132 16 15 1 164 853 2.7% 501 263 21 4 1 289 790 2.5% 549 177 21 18 3 219 768 2.4% Finance & Insurance 526 156 25 7 0 188 714 2.3% Educational Services 376 48 7 1 6 62 438 1.4% Wholesale Trade 217 156 18 5 0 179 396 1.3% Information & Cultural Industries Management of Companies & Enterprises Mining & Oil & Gas Extraction 254 75 12 2 0 89 343 1.1% 277 35 0 0 0 35 312 1.0% 183 42 4 1 6 53 236 0.7% Utilities 65 13 5 6 0 24 89 0.3% Public Administration 17 41 5 13 1 60 77 0.2% As detailed in Table 2 and Figure 1, there are 31,488 companies in the Kootenay Development Region, including 5,634 with less than 20 employees. The real estate, rental and leasing sector (29%) has the highest percentage of businesses in the region, followed by construction (11%), professional, scientific, and technical services (9%), agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting (8%), and retail trade (7%) 6. Sectors with the highest number of small businesses included construction (860 businesses), retail trade (799), other services (556), and health care and social assistance (493). A limited number of sectors include ‘big employer’ 7 companies in the region including health care and social assistance (6 businesses), educational services (6), and mining, oil, and gas extraction (6) 8. 4 Source: Statistics Canada. The locations in the "indeterminate" employee count category do not maintain an employee payroll, but may have a workforce which consists of contracted workers, family members or business owners. However, the Business Register does not have this information available, and has therefore assigned the locations to an "indeterminate" category. This category also includes employers who did not have employees in the last 12 months. 6 Source: BC Stats. (2014). British Columbia and Regional Totals - Location Counts by NAICS Industry (2007-). 7 Employ more than 200 people 8 Ibid. 5 Employment Lands Final Report Figure 1. Total Business Counts in the Basin-Boundary Region, 2013. Currently, major projects within the Kootenay Development Region are valued at over $9.5 billion. Of these, 14 ($3.9B) have started construction, 5 ($2B) are on hold, and 10 ($3.7B) are proposed. Notable projects underway include the Waneta Hydroelectric Expansion Project ($900M), expansion of the Red Mountain Ski Resort ($900M) and development at the Wildstone Golf Resort ($750M) 9. Major projects in other portions of the Basin-Boundary region are valued at $10.2 billion, including the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion project (stretching from Edmonton to Burnaby via Valemount), valued at $5.4 billion. Business bankruptcies in the region hit a ten-year low in 2013, marking a 68.8% decline from 2008. Data from the Invest Kootenay Partnership (IKP) evidences an increasing number of investments supported by IKP over the last 5 years with 32 investments realized amounting to $6.5 million. The regions’ labour force has also experienced an increase in educational attainment over the last 5 years (4.9 percentage points), with 58.1% of the population now possessing a post-secondary certificate / diploma or higher. However, it is important to note that educational attainment in the Kootenay Development region is 10 percentage points below the provincial average. In sum, the regional economy is in its third year of recovery since the recession. The overall employment level has now surpassed the pre-recession high. Job growth fuelled by the service sector, the continued shift toward full-time employment, and significant decrease in business bankruptcies are all positive developments. 9 Source: BC Ministry of Finance. BC Major Projects Inventory, June 2014. Employment Lands Final Report METHODOLOGY In an effort to better understand land supply and demand for wealth generating land in the region, an integrated economic development-geospatial analysis was undertaken. An economic development lens extended the scope of the research to include an exploration of factors beyond the availability of vacant land that may influence decisions related to land use, business expansion and new investment 10. The geospatial analysis allowed for an exploration of lands at the regional, corridor, and Retail Trade Area (RTA) levels. The primary data sets used included relevant data from the regional business retention and expansion (BRE) project database, 2014 BC Assessment Roll data, and cadastral data provided by local governments and the Integrated Cadastral Information Society (ICIS). BRE data was generated from 8 sector and community-focused BRE projects undertaken by fifteen 11 of the region’s twenty-eight municipalities and both of the region’s innovation councils 12. The Columbia Basin Rural Development Institute (RDI) provided training to community-based BRE researchers to ensure the standardization of data collection methods. The BRE interview survey consists of 107 questions related to the company profile, local workforce, sales, facilities and equipment, and future plans for growth or succession. BRE data was extracted on November 11, 2014 providing data for 684 companies, in 42 communities (incorporated and non), drawn primarily from retail trade, professional services, manufacturing, and accommodation and food services sectors. The Province of BC provided 2014 Assessment Roll data under a pilot data sharing agreement. BC Assessment’s Roll Data, a detailed database of individual properties across BC, contains usage information. The Roll Data is subject to some accuracy issues because detailed information on individual properties is typically updated only after transfer of ownership or major renovations requiring a building permit. Despite this limitation, the Roll Data represents the most comprehensive approach to determining the level of development / usage on a given property. The 2014 Assessment Roll database provided data for 112,636 parcels of land. This dataset was used to identify vacant parcels. Cadastral data was secured from 4 regional districts 13 and 10 larger municipalities 14 in the region. Data from the Integrated Cadastral Information Society (ICIS) was used to supplement parcel information and to provide ownership class (i.e. crown lands, private lands) data to supplement the BC Assessment Roll data 15. Data from the Digital Basin portal was also used, primarily data layers associated with buildings, roads, rail, airports, hospitals, schools, government service facilities, services (water, electricity, etc.), political boundaries, Official Community Plans, forest tenures, mining tenures and the agricultural land reserve to better understand the employment lands landscape. The Digital Basin is an online portal providing data, maps and analysis for over 100 assets and indicators relevant to the regions’ economic, social, cultural and environmental vitality. In addition, data generated from a regional economic development capacity diagnostic was included as a dataset to further inform economic development related assets and gaps. The diagnostic was administered to 20 Economic Development Practitioners in October 2014 during a meeting of the Kootenay Economic Development Practitioners (KEDP) Network. 48% of EDP respondents were from the West Kootenay Corridor, 33% from the Southeast Corridor, 10% from the Columbia Valley Corridor, 5% from the Elk Valley Corridor, and 5% from the Boundary Corridor. 10 Including an exploration of related economic development assets (i.e. infrastructure that facilitates economic activity) and factors that may constrain the use of available lands (i.e. proximity to a watershed or residential zone). 11 Grand Forks, Midway, Greenwood, Trail, Rossland, Montrose, Fruitvale, Warfield, Nakusp, Slocan, New Denver, Silverton, Kimberley, Sparwood, and Kaslo. 12 Kootenay Association for Science and Technology and the Kootenay Rockies Innovation Council. 13 Regional District of East Kootenay, Regional District of Central Kootenay, Regional District of Kootenay Boundary, and Columbia Shuswap Regional District 14 Sparwood, Fernie, Cranbrook Kimberley, Castlegar, Trail, Rossland, Revelstoke, Golden and Valemount 15 Ownership data was not included under the pilot data sharing agreement with the Province of BC. Employment Lands Final Report Applicable data sets were applied against each research question and analyzed using descriptive statistical and geospatial analysis at the regional, corridor, and Retail Trade Area (RTA) levels. The regional geographic corridors were developed by the RDI in consultation with local government representatives to reflect geographically defined 16 areas where people and product may travel for work, school, or to access health care. The RTAs were determined using a function of a municipality’s population and the distance to the next competing (for retail trade) municipality. Please see Appendix B for RTA maps for each of the 28 municipalities in the region. The data used in this analysis, including regional cadastral data generated from over 30 sources, may have data gaps and errors. Regional and municipal stakeholders, planners, and leaders should evaluate all results against their local knowledge. Aspects of the analyses rely on proxy information. For example, property use codes listed as ‘vacant’ in the BC Assessment data served as a proxy for an indication of supply and utilization of employment lands. BRE data related to “expansion within the next 3 years” and “lack of appropriately zoned lands” served as a proxy for employment land demand. While the use of proxy data provides some indication of land supply and demand in the region, it has limitations related to accurate vacancy reporting and perceptions reported by only a sample of businesses in the region. It is important to note that while this analysis identifies vacant lands, available data did not allow for the identification of vacant lands that are for sale. Properties were identified as ‘vacant’ using the BC Assessment Roll data ‘actual use’ code as assigned by the BCA appraiser. Figure 2. Regional Corridors 16 Mountains and river valleys shape travel patterns in the region. Employment Lands Final Report RESULTS REGIONAL ECONOMIC ASSETS AND GAPS In an effort to understand assets and gaps relevant to business expansion and new investment, a descriptive statistical analysis was applied to the BRE data at a regional level. Data was generated from the 684 companies that were surveyed regarding government services, business climate and barriers to expansion. It is important to note than many businesses either did not respond to certain questions or indicated that a specific service was not applicable to their operations. These businesses have been excluded from the analyses below and results are therefore limited to definitive “excellent”, “good”, “poor”, or “fair” responses. The number of total responses considered in these analyses varies by question. ACCESS TO MARKETS, REGULATORY FRAMEWORK, INFRASTRUCTURE & LANDS As detailed in Figure 2, over half of the respondents rated the following services as excellent or good: distance to the US border (84%), highway / road access (83%), water and sewer supply (79%), inspections (eg. licensing) (72%), recycling (72%), disposal of waste material (67%), access to markets (67%), availability of couriers (58%), access to supplies (55%), and telecommunications (54%). Less favourable rankings were provided for access to port facilities (30%), availability of rail transport (35%) and availability of warehousing (38%). access to US border highway / road access water and sewer supply inspections (eg. licensing) recycling diposal of waste material access to markets availability of couriers access to supplies telecommunications airport access availability of appropriately zoned lands development approval process availability of lands for lease or purchase availability of warehousing availability of rail transport access to port facilities 84% 83% 79% 72% 72% 67% 67% 58% 55% 54% 49% 49% 48% 46% 38% 35% 30% Figure 3. Percentage of Companies Rating Government Services as Excellent or Good Figure 3 details the percentage of companies ranking government service types as poor or fair. Over half of company respondents ranked the following services as poor or fair: access to port facilities (70%), availability of rail transport (65%), availability of warehousing (62%), availability of lands for lease or purchase (54%), development approval process (52%), availability of appropriately zoned lands (51%), and airport access (51%). Findings suggest access to suppliers and markets (including proximity to US border and couriers), highway and road infrastructure, inspections and licensing, and waste management are key government services assets. Findings also suggest possible gaps exist in the availability of warehousing, key Employment Lands Final Report infrastructure assets (access to port facilities, rail transport, airport access, telecommunications), development approval processes, and the availability of lands for expansion (appropriately zoned lands, available land for lease or sale). A more in-depth analysis of land demand is considered in the Lands to Accommodate Business Expansion and Investment section below. access to port facilities availability of rail transport availability of warehousing availability of lands for lease or purchase development approval process availability of appropriately zoned lands airport access telecommunications access to supplies availability of couriers access to markets diposal of waste material recycling inspections (eg. licensing) water and sewer supply highway / road access access to US border 70% 65% 62% 54% 52% 51% 51% 46% 45% 42% 33% 33% 28% 28% 21% 17% 16% Figure 4. Percentage of Companies Rating Government Services as Poor or Fair WORKFORCE, BUSINESS SUPPORTS & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CLIMATE As detailed in Figure 5, over half of the respondents rated the following elements of the business climate as excellent or good: cultural and recreational amenities (68%), K-12 education (66%), Community Futures (62%), Chamber of Commerce (55%), colleges (54%), and workforce quality (54%). Less favourable rankings were provided for technical training (28%), local tax structure (33%), economic development (34%), workforce availability (34%) and housing (39%). cultural / recreational amenities K-12 Community Futures Chamber of Commerce Colleges workforce quality tourism services local government Business Improvement Area local business climate workforce stability housing workforce availability economic development local tax structure technical training 68% 66% 62% 55% 54% 53% 48% 42% 42% 42% 41% 39% 34% 34% 33% 28% Figure 5. Percentage of Companies Rating Business Climate Elements as Excellent or Good According to Figure 6, a number of business climate factors were ranked as poor or fair, including technical training (72%), local tax structure (67%), economic development (66%), and workforce availability (66%). Employment Lands Final Report technical training local tax structure economic development workforce availability housing workforce stability local business climate Business Improvement Area local government tourism services workforce quality Colleges Community Futures K-12 cultural / recreational amenities Chamber of Commerce 72% 67% 66% 66% 61% 59% 58% 58% 58% 52% 47% 46% 38% 34% 32% 0% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% Figure 6. Percentage of Companies Rating Business Climate Factors as Poor or Fair Findings suggest elements related to workforce development (K-12, Colleges, workforce quality), workforce attraction and retention (cultural and recreation amenities), and business supports (Community Futures, Chambers of Commerce) are key business climate assets. Findings also suggest gaps exist within some aspects of workforce development (technical training), workforce attraction and retention (availability and stability, housing), business supports (Business Improvement Areas, tourism services), and economic development (local tax structure, local business climate, local government). ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CAPACITY The capacity to support existing business and attract new investment is a key enabler of the regional economy. Figure 6 below outlines the perspectives of regional economic development practitioners (EDPs) with respect to economic development capacity in the region, highlighting areas of strength and limitation. EDPs were asked to rate 13 economic development capacity indicators in the areas of planning and action, governance and leadership, networks and linkages, and engagement using a 5point Likert scale. The rating average for each indicator is presented below. 17 Capacity in the area of planning and action was high for history of successful economic development activities (4.41), and for the presence of a current economic development plan (3.0). The presence of a shared community vision for the future received a lower rating (2.78). Capacity in the area of engagement was relatively high as it relates to engagement of a diverse group of stakeholders in economic development (3.70), a high level of involvement by stakeholders in economic development (3.30), and the active involvement of the business community in informing economic development (3.30). Capacity related to networks and linkages was high in some areas and low in others. The connection to business supports within the region (3.89) (i.e. Community Futures, Credit Unions, the Business Basin Advisors program, etc.) received a high rating, while lower ratings were reported for connections to external networks (2.88) (i.e. provincial and federal funding and support programs), and history of cross-sectoral collaborations on community projects (2.52). Governance and leadership capacity ratings were relatively high in some areas and low in other areas. The commitment of community leaders to advance economic development priorities (3.48) and the presence of economic development-related human and financial resources (3.13) received high ratings while lower rankings 17 It is important to note that a number of communities were not represented by EDP respondents and it is likely the majority of these unrepresented communities have lower levels of economic development capacity (i.e. didn’t have an EDP to send to the regional forum). Employment Lands Final Report were reported on indicators related to elected officials’ (1.35) and government staffs’ (2.63) understanding of economic development. Shared Vision Community-Business 5.00 Economic Development Relations Plan 4.00 2.78 3.00 3.00 Stakeholder 3.00 Successful E.D. Activities Involvement 3.30 2.00 4.41 Stakeholder Diversity 3.70 Connected to External Supports E.D. Understanding of Elected Officials 1.00 0.00 2.88 3.89 2.52 Connected to Regional Supports Succesful Community Projects 1.35 2.63 E.D. Understanding of Local Government Staff 3.13 Human & Financial 3.48 Resources Local Leadership E.D. Commitment Figure 7. Economic Development Capacity, Perspectives of Regional Economic Development Practitioners In sum, perspectives of EDPs suggest that the region has a track record of successful economic development projects, communities are connected with in-region business supports, there is a commitment to economic development on behalf of local leadership, and there are diverse stakeholders involved in economic development. Capacity challenges are apparent with respect to knowledge of economic development by elected officials and local government staff, and a lack of history of crosssectoral collaboration on community projects. LANDS TO ACCOMMODATE INVESTMENT AND BUSINESS GROWTH BC Assessment collects data on every privately owned property in British Columbia. This data tracks ownership changes, usage, sale prices, buildings and upgrades (amongst many other types of data). Properties were identified as ‘vacant’ using the BC Assessment Roll data ‘actual use’ code as assigned by the BCA appraiser. The strengths of this dataset lie in its comprehensive coverage of the entire province and the regular reporting and updating of the information. This dataset provides the best representation of existing use patterns available. This analysis extracted properties that reported vacant as an actual use code and tied these properties to the parcel fabric made available through the region’s governments and the Integrated Cadastral Information Society (ICIS). It is important to note that while this analysis identifies vacant lands, available data did not allow for the identification of vacant lands that are for sale. This level of analysis also required zoning information to identify parcels purposed for industrial and commercial uses. Significant data gaps compromise findings related to the employment lands inventory in the Elk Valley, Columbia Valley and South East Kootenay Corridors. More specifically, zoning was unavailable for Canal Flats, Elkford, Fernie, Invermere and Kimberley at the time of project reporting. All vacant lands within the municipalities listed above were classified as ‘other’. As a result, the supply of employment lands in the above corridors is underrepresented. Employment Lands Final Report Table 3. Vacant Lands Inventory, by Corridor Commercial Parcels Commercial Area Industrial Parcels Industrial Area Other Parcels Other Area Total Parcels Boundary Corridor 76 258.82 46 9,791.25 385 64,549.26 507 74,599.33 Columbia Valley Corridor 58 1,038.10 2 210.48 548 107,844.77 608 109,093.35 Elk Valley Corridor 8 37.37 2 8.10 201 294,668.97 211 294,714.44 Revelstoke Corridor 33 572.11 25 430.28 180 137,505.48 238 138,507.87 Southeast Kootenay Corridor 112 482.35 81 1,771.83 930 228,576.01 1123 230,830.20 Valemount Corridor 33 152.22 8 111.16 43 4,708.50 84 4,971.87 West Kootenay Corridor 216 1,906.48 313 4,447.35 2240 405,387.98 2769 411,741.81 Total 536 Source: BC Assessment Roll Data 4,447.46 477 16,770.44 4527 1,243,240.98 5540 1,264,458.87 Corridor Total Area As detailed in Table 3, there are 5,540 vacant private parcels of land in the region totalling 1,264,458 hectares. As detailed in Figure 8 below, the highest percentage of vacant parcels (includes commercial, industrial and ‘other’) is in Valemount (9%), followed by the West Kootenay (8%), Southeast Kootenay (5%), Revelstoke (5%), Columbia Valley (5%), Boundary (5%), and the Elk Valley (3%) Corridors. Valemount Corridor 9% West Kootenay Corridor 8% Southeast Kootenay Corridor 5% Revelstoke Corridor 5% Columbia Valley Corridor 5% Boundary Corridor 5% Elk Valley Corridor 3% Figure 8. Percentage of Total Vacant Land (Parcels), by Corridor Also as highlighted in Table 3, the highest number of total vacant parcels is located in the West Kootenay Corridor (2,769 parcels, 411,742 hectares), followed by the Southeast Kootenay Corridor (1123 parcels, 230,830 hectares), the Columbia Valley Corridor (608 parcels, 109,093 hectares), the Boundary Corridor (507 parcels, 74,599 hectares), the Revelstoke Corridor (238 parcels, 166,205 hectares), the Elk Valley Corridor (211 parcels, 294,714 hectares), and the Valemount Corridor (84 parcels, 4,972 hectares). Findings suggest that, as a region, there is an adequate supply of employment lands to accommodate business growth and new investment. VACANT COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL LANDS There are 536 vacant commercial parcels totalling 4,447 hectares. 20% of the Valemount Corridor’s commercial land is available (33 parcels, 152 hectares), followed by 8% in the Southeast Kootenay Corridor (112, parcels, 482 hectares), 6% in the West Kootenay Corridor (216 parcels, 1,906 hectares), Employment Lands Final Report 5% in the Boundary Corridor (76 parcels, 259 hectares), 4% in the Revelstoke Corridor (33 parcels, 572 hectares), 4% in the Columbia Valley Corridor (58 parcels, 1,038 hectares), and 1% in the Elk Valley Corridor (8 parcels, 37 hectares). Findings suggest there may be limited opportunity for commercial expansion or new investment in the Elk Valley Corridor. Also, while the Southeast Kootenay and Boundary Corridors have a high number of parcels, both have relatively limited vacant commercial areas in comparison to the other corridors. Valemount Corridor 20% Southeast Kootenay Corridor 8% West Kootenay Corridor 6% Boundary Corridor 5% Revelstoke Corridor 4% Columbia Valley Corridor 3% Elk Valley Corridor 1% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% Figure 9. Percentage of Vacant Commercial Land (Parcels), by Corridor There are 477 vacant industrial parcels totalling 16,770 hectares. 37% of the West Kootenay Corridor’s industrial lands are vacant (313 parcels, 4,447 hectares), followed by 26% in the Boundary Corridor (46 parcels, 9,791 hectares), 20% in the Valemount Corridor (8 parcels, 111 hectares), 15% in the Southeast Kootenay Corridor (81 parcels, 1,772 hectares), 14% in the Revelstoke Corridor (25 parcels, 430 hectares), 12% In the Columbia Valley Corridor (2 parcels, 211 hectares, and 2% in the Elk Valley Corridor (2 parcels, 8 hectares). Findings suggest that there may be limited opportunity for industrial expansion or new investment in the Elk Valley Corridor. Again it is cautioned both commercial and industrial lands within the communities of Canal Flats, Elkford, Fernie, Invermere and Kimberley are not currently included in the employment lands inventory due to gaps in zoning data. West Kootenay Corridor 37% Boundary Corridor 26% Valemount Corridor 20% Southeast Kootenay Corridor 15% Revelstoke Corridor 14% Columbia Valley Corridor 12% Elk Valley Corridor 2% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% Figure 10. Percentage of Vacant Industrial Land (Parcels), by Corridor Findings suggest there is an adequate supply of commercial and industrial lands in the majority of the regions’ corridors. There are a total of 536 vacant commercial parcels covering 4,447 hectares of land and 477 vacant industrial parcels covering 16,770 hectares of land. However, it should be noted that real estate listings data was not available at the time of report writing and it is therefore unknown how many of these parcels are available for purchase or lease. There appear to be some constraints on the commercial land supply in the Elk Valley with only 8 vacant parcels and 37 hectares of land identified. However, zoning data gaps associated with Fernie and Elkford are likely influencing these results as all parcels from Fernie and Elkford were coded as ‘other’ lands and therefore were not included in this stream of analysis. There also appear to be some possible limitations to the industrial lands supply in Employment Lands Final Report the Elk Valley (only 2 parcels and 8 hectares of land vacant) and Columbia Valley Corridors (only 2 parcels and 210 hectares of land vacant), although findings at this stage are inconclusive for these corridors due to missing data from Canal Flats, Elkford, Fernie, and Invermere. OTHER VACANT LANDS ‘Other’ vacant lands refer to lands zoned as agricultural, mixed use, parks and recreation, residential or rural. As noted above, the ‘other’ lands inventory also includes commercial and industrial lands within 5 East Kootenay municipalities. There are 4,527 ‘other’ parcels totalling 1,243,241 hectares. The highest number of other parcels is located in the West Kootenay Corridor (2240 parcels, 405,388 hectares), followed by the Southeast Kootenay Corridor (930 parcels, 228,576 hectares), the Columbia Valley Corridor (548 parcels, 107,845 hectares), the Boundary Corridor (385 parcels, 64,549 hectares), the Elk Valley Corridor (201 parcels, 294,699 hectares), the Revelstoke Corridor (180 parcels, 137,505 hectares), and the Valemount Corridor (43 parcels, 4,709 hectares). A detailed analysis of agricultural lands, including related land values, will be undertaken by the RDI in 2015 as part of the Regional Food Systems applied research project. EMPLOYMENT LANDS WITHIN MUNICIPALITIES A component of RDI’s analysis explores the landscape of vacant commercial and industrial lands within municipalities. As detailed in Table 4 below, 79% of vacant commercial and industrial parcels (805 of 1013) and 27% of vacant commercial and industrial land area (5,655 of 21,218 hectares) is located within municipalities. Table 4. Vacant Employment Lands within Municipalities, by Corridor Corridors Zoning Commercial Industrial Commercial Columbia Valley Corridor Industrial Commercial Elk Valley Corridor Industrial Commercial Revelstoke Corridor Industrial Commercial Southeast Kootenay Corridor Industrial Commercial Valemount Corridor Industrial Commercial West Kootenay Corridor Industrial Commercial Total Industrial Total Total Boundary Corridor Vacant Municipal Parcels Total Vacant Parcels % Vacant Parcels within Municipality Vacant Municipal Area (Ha) Total Vacant Area (Ha) % Vacant Area within Municipality 59 17 34 0 8 2 32 24 99 70 33 0 182 245 447 358 805 76 46 58 2 8 2 33 25 112 81 33 8 216 313 536 477 1013 78% 37% 59% 0% 100% 100% 97% 96% 88% 86% 100% 0% 84% 78% 83% 75% 79% 57.84 58.70 197.46 0.00 37.37 8.10 558.29 364.99 251.11 477.54 152.22 0.00 1,629.08 1,862.53 2,883.37 2,771.87 5,655.24 258.82 9,791.25 1,038.10 210.48 37.37 8.10 572.11 430.28 482.35 1,771.83 152.22 111.16 1,906.48 4,447.35 4,447.46 16,770.44 21,217.89 22% 1% 19% 0% 100% 100% 98% 85% 52% 27% 100% 0% 85% 42% 65% 17% 27% 83% of vacant commercial parcels (447 of 536 parcels) and 65% of commercial land area (2,883 of 4,447 hectares) lands are located within municipalities. As highlighted in Table 10, all of the available vacant commercial properties in the Valemount (33 of 33 parcels, 152 of 152 hectares) and Elk Valley Corridors (8 of 8 parcels, 37 of 37 hectares) are located within municipal boundaries, followed by 97% in the Revelstoke Corridor (32 of 33 parcels, 558 of 572 hectares), 88% in the Southeast Kootenay Corridor (99 of 112, 251 of 482 hectares), 84% in the West Kootenay Corridor (182 of 216 parcels, 1,629 or 1,906 Employment Lands Final Report hectares), 78% in the Boundary Corridor (59 of 76 parcels, 58 of 258 hectares), and 59% in the Columbia Valley Corridor (34 of 58 parcels, 197 of 1,038 hectares). Valemount Corridor Elk Valley Corridor Revelstoke Corridor Southeast Kootenay Corridor West Kootenay Corridor Boundary Corridor Columbia Valley Corridor 100% 100% 97% 88% 84% 78% 59% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 120% Figure 11. Percentage of Vacant Commercial Land within Municipal Boundaries (Parcels), by Corridor 75% of vacant industrial parcels (358 of 477) and 17% of available industrial land area (2,772 of 16,770 hectares) is located within municipalities. As detailed in Table 11, all of the vacant industrial properties in the Elk Valley Corridor (2 of 2, 8 of 8 hectares) are located in within municipal boundaries, followed by 96% in the Revelstoke Corridor (24 of 25 parcels, 365 of 430 hectares), 86% in the Southeast Kootenay Corridor (70 of 81 parcels, 478 of 1,772 hectares), 78% in the West Kootenay Corridor(245 of 313 parcels, 1,862 of 4,447 hectares), and 37% in the Boundary Corridor (17 of 46 parcels, 59 of 9,791 hectares). There are no vacant industrial lands within municipal boundaries in the Valemount or Columbia Valley Corridors. Elk Valley Corridor Revelstoke Corridor Southeast Kootenay Corridor West Kootenay Corridor Boundary Corridor Valemount Corridor Columbia Valley Corridor 100% 96% 86% 78% 37% 0% 0% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 120% Figure 12. Percentage Vacant Industrial Land within Municipal Boundaries (Parcels), by Corridor Availability of commercial lands within municipalities is often preferred as the retail trade sector relies on proximity to customers. 83% of vacant commercial parcels (447 of 10,029 parcels) and 65% of commercial land area (2,883 of 4,447 hectares) is located within municipalities. Findings suggest that there may be a limited supply of commercial lands available within municipalities within the Elk Valley Corridor, although it is important to note that zoning data was not available for Fernie or Elkford at the time of report writing, therefore related findings are inconclusive. High concentrations of industrial lands within municipalities can create challenges as they sometimes conflict with other land use types (i.e. proximity to residential). 75% of vacant industrial parcels (358 of 536) and 17% of available industrial land area (2,772 of 16,770 hectares) are located within municipalities. Findings reveal relatively high concentrations of industrial lands within municipal boundaries in the Revelstoke Corridor (24 of 25 parcels, 365 of 430 hectares), Southeast Kootenay Corridor (70 of 81 parcels, 478 of 1,772 hectares), West Kootenay Corridors (245 of 313 hectares, 1,863 of 4,448 hectares), and Elk Valley Corridor (2 of 2 parcels, 8 of 8 hectares). It is important to note that a number of regional district areas do not have zoning which has an impact on this level of analysis. Employment Lands Final Report CROWN EMPLOYMENT LANDS Crown lands in the region were also included in RDI’s analysis. 18 Using ICIS ownership class data, properties designated as federal crown, provincial crown, and municipal crown were identified. As outlined in Table 5, there are 758 commercial and industrial parcels, covering 25,943 hectares. 42% of commercial and industrial lands in the inventory are vacant, including 36% of crown commercial lands (162 of 448 parcels) and 51% of crown industrial lands (159 of 310 parcels). In terms of area, 58% of the crown commercial lands (7,151 of 12,253 hectares) and 70% of crown industrial lands (9,631 of 13,690 hectares) are vacant. Table 5. Vacant Commercial Crown Lands Zoning Commercial Industrial Total Vacant Crown Commercial & Industrial Total Crown Commercial & Industrial % Vacant Commercial & Industrial Crown Vacant Crown Commercial & Industrial (Ha) Total Crown Commercial & Industrial (Ha) % Vacant Commercial & Industrial Crown (Ha) 162 159 321 448 310 758 36% 51% 42% 7,150.69 9,630.50 16,781.19 12,253.16 13,689.68 25,942.85 58% 70% 65% An analysis of federal and provincial vacant commercial crown land reveals 100% of parcels are vacant in the Southeast Corridor (7 of 7 parcels, 21 of 21 hectares), followed by 71% in the Boundary Corridor (17 of 24 parcels, 112 of 132 hectares), 67% in the Columbia Valley Corridor (2 of 3 parcels, 0.73 of 1.6 hectares), 60% in the Elk Valley Corridor (3 of 5 parcels, 5,816 of 5,823 hectares), 12% in the West Kootenay Corridor (6 of 49 parcels, 887 of 3,569 hectares), and 10% in the Revelstoke Corridor (3 of 30 parcels, 105 of 500 hectares). There are no provincial or federal crown commercial lands in the Valemount Corridor. (See Figure 13 and Appendix A) Southeast Kootenay Corridor 100% Boundary Corridor 71% Columbia Valley Corridor 67% Elk Valley Corridor 60% West Kootenay Corridor 12% Revelstoke Corridor 10% Valemount Corridor 0% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 120% Figure 13. Percentage Vacant Federal and Provincial Commercial Crown Land (Parcels), by Corridor As shown in Figure 14, 85% of federal and provincial industrial crown parcels are vacant in the West Kootenay Corridor (46 of 54 parcels, 2,939 of 3,552 hectares), followed by 58% in the Boundary Corridor (28 of 48 parcels, 4,097 of 4,865 hectares), 43% in the Southeast Kootenay Corridor (9 of 21 parcels, 841 of 1,176 hectares), 33% in the Elk Valley Corridor (1 of 3 parcels, 62 of 170 hectares), and 18% in the Revelstoke Corridor (2 of 11 parcels, 96 of 251 hectares). There are no provincial or federal crown industrial lands in the Valemount or Columbia Valley Corridors. 18 Does not include government owned properties classified as ‘other’. For example, an analysis of 2008 BC Assessment data (that did include ownership) revealed a number of large properties with an Ottawa address. This could be a future line of inquiry. Employment Lands Final Report West Kootenay Corridor Boundary Corridor Southeast Kootenay Corridor Elk Valley Corridor Revelstoke Corridor Valemount Corridor Columbia Valley Corridor 85% 58% 43% 33% 18% 0% 0% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Figure 14. Percentage Vacant Federal and Provincial Industrial Crown Land (Parcels), by Corridor An exploration of municipal crown commercial lands (Figure 15) reveals 100% of available parcels are vacant in the Valemount Corridor (3 of 3 parcels, 8 of 8 hectares), followed by 61% in the Boundary Corridor (39 of 64 parcels, 60 of 122 hectares), 45% in the Southeast Kootenay Corridor (18 of 40 parcels, 53 of 117 hectares), 37% in the West Kootenay Corridor (54 of 147 parcels, 34 of 1,798 hectares), 17% in the Columbia Valley Corridor (2 of 12 parcels, 1 of 20 hectares), 14% in the Revelstoke Corridor (7 of 50 hectares, 49 of 80 hectares), and 10% in the Elk Valley Corridor (1 of 10 parcels, 4 of 31 hectares). Valemount Corridor 100% Boundary Corridor 61% Southeast Kootenay Corridor 45% West Kootenay Corridor 37% Columbia Valley Corridor 17% Revelstoke Corridor 14% Elk Valley Corridor 10% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 120% Figure 15. Percentage Vacant Municipal Commercial Crown Land (Parcels), by Corridor Southeast Kootenay Corridor 59% Boundary Corridor 51% Elk Valley Corridor 50% Revelstoke Corridor 42% West Kootenay Corridor 33% Valemount Corridor 0% Columbia Valley Corridor 0% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% Figure 16. Percentage Vacant Municipal Industrial Crown Land (Parcels), by Corridor Further, as shown in Figure 16, an exploration of municipal crown industrial lands reveals 59% of available parcels are vacant in the Southeast Kootenay Corridor (13 of 22 parcels, 117 of 182 hectares), 51% in the Boundary Corridor (24 of 47 parcels, 1,323 of 2,198 hectares), 50% in the Elk Valley Corridor (1 of 2 parcels, 21 of 22 hectares), 42% in the Revelstoke Corridor (5 of 12 parcels, 25 of 298 hectares), and 33% in the West Kootenay Corridor (30 of 90 parcels, 111 of 977 hectares). There are no municipal crown industrial lands in the Valemount or Columbia Valley Corridors. Employment Lands Final Report Findings suggest that there is a relatively limited supply of vacant federal and provincial crown commercial lands, with the exception of 17 parcels in the Boundary Corridor covering a land area of 111 hectares. There is also a limited supply of vacant federal and provincial crown industrial lands, with the exception of 46 parcels in the West Kootenay Corridor covering 2,939 hectares and 28 parcels in the Boundary Corridor covering 4,097 hectares. It is important to note that the majority of vacant parcels are provincial crown lands. Findings also suggest there is a relatively limited supply of vacant municipal crown commercial land with the exception of the 54 West Kootenay Corridor parcels covering 34 hectares and 39 commercial parcels in the Boundary Corridor covering 60 hectares. There is also a limited supply of vacant municipal crown industrial lands, with the exception of 30 parcels in the West Kootenay Corridor covering 111 hectares) and 24 parcels in the Boundary Corridor covering 1,232 hectares. Figures 17, 18 and 19 below present employment land maps for the Southeast Kootenay, Southwest Kootenay and Northern Kootenay areas. Employment Lands Final Report Figure 17. Southeast Basin-Boundary Employment Lands Map Employment Lands Final Report Figure 18. Southwest Basin-Boundary Employment Lands Map Employment Lands Final Report Figure 19. North Basin-Boundary Employment Lands Map Employment Lands Final Report EMPLOYMENT LANDS UTILIZATION This analysis further explores the regional employment lands inventory to better understand utilization of lands in support of business expansion and new investment. The same data sets and methodology were used to compare the employment lands inventory against total vacant and non-vacant properties. Vacant lands were identified using BC Assessment Roll data that attributed a ‘vacant’ use code to the property. All other lands not attributed as ‘vacant’ were classified as non-vacant. This analysis does not determine if the lands in the inventory are being fully utilized for their intended use nor does it include crown employment lands. Again, it is cautioned that both vacant and non-vacant commercial and industrial lands within the communities of Canal Flats, Elkford, Fernie, Invermere and Kimberley are not currently included in the employment lands inventory due to gaps in zoning data. There is a high level of utilization of the regions’ employment lands. 94% of total private parcels (92,648 of 98,188) and 74% of private (commercial, industrial and ‘other’) land area (3,611,851 of 4,876,309 hectares) are being utilized. See Appendix A for detailed data tables. Table 6. Utilized Commercial Lands, by Corridor Utilized Commercial (parcels) Corridor Total Vacant Commercial (parcels) % Utilized Commercial (parcels) Utilized Commercial (Ha) Total Vacant Commercial (Ha) % Utilized Commercial (Ha) Boundary Corridor 1,315 1,391 95% 8,421.34 8,680.16 97% Columbia Valley Corridor 1,916 1,974 97% 25,930.55 26,968.65 96% Elk Valley Corridor 610 618 99% 11,268.68 11,306.05 100% Revelstoke Corridor Southeast Kootenay Corridor 753 786 96% 5,640.69 6,212.80 91% 1,324 1,436 92% 11,632.89 12,115.24 96% 136 169 80% 611.39 763.61 80% West Kootenay Corridor 3,439 3,655 94% 12,930.92 14,837.40 87% Total 9,493 10,029 95% 76,436.46 80,883.91 95% Valemount Corridor As shown in Table 6, 95% of the regions’ commercial parcels (9,493 of 10,029) are being utilized, including 66% of the commercial land base (76,436 of 80,884 hectares). The highest utilization of parcels (99%) of commercial land parcels is in the Elk Valley Corridor (610 of 618 parcels, 11,269 of 11,306 hectares) followed by 97% in the Columbia Valley Corridor (1916 of 1974 parcels, 25,931 of 26,969 hectares), 96% in the Revelstoke Corridor (753 of 786 parcels, 5,641 of 6,213 hectares), 95% in the Boundary Corridor (1315 of 1391 parcels, 8,421 of 8,680 hectares), 94% in the West Kootenay Corridor (3439 of 3655 parcels, 12,931 of 14,837 hectares), 92% in the Southeast Kootenay Corridor (1324 of 1436 parcels, 11,633 of 12,115 hectares), and 80% in the Valemount Corridor (136 of 169 parcels, 611 of 764 hectares). As shown in Table 7, 75% of the regions’ industrial parcels (1425 of 1902) are being utilized, including 81% of the industrial land base (72,679 of 89,446 hectares). The highest utilization of parcels (98%) of industrial land parcels is in the Elk Valley Corridor (105 of 107 parcels, 35,603 of 35,611), followed by 88% in the Columbia Valley Corridor (15 of 17, 2,805 of 3,016), 86% in the Revelstoke Corridor (153 of 178 parcels, 2,858 of 3,288), 85% in the Southeast Kootenay Corridor (458 of 539 parcels, 5,808 of 7,580 hectares), 80% in the Valemount Corridor (33 of 41 parcels, 2,113 of 2,224 hectares), 74% in the Boundary Corridor (130 of 176 parcels, 8,876 of 18,668 hectares), and 63% in the West Kootenay Corridor (531 of 844 parcels, 14,611 of 19,059 hectares). Employment Lands Final Report Table 7. Utilized Industrial Lands, by Corridor Utilized Industrial (parcels) Corridor Total Vacant Industrial (parcels) % Utilized Industrial (parcels) Utilized Industrial (Ha) Total Vacant Industrial (Ha) % Utilized Industrial Area Boundary Corridor 130 176 74% 8,876.31 18,667.56 48% Columbia Valley Corridor 15 17 88% 2,805.34 3,015.82 93% Elk Valley Corridor 105 107 98% 35,603.29 35,611.39 100% Revelstoke Corridor 153 178 86% 2,858.15 3,288.43 87% Southeast Kootenay Corridor 458 539 85% 5,808.04 7,579.87 77% Valemount Corridor 33 41 80% 2,112.92 2,224.08 95% West Kootenay Corridor 531 844 63% 14,611.33 19,058.68 77% Total 1425 1902 75% 72675.38 89445.83 81% Findings suggest there may be some constraints to expansion and new investment of commercial lands in the Columbia Valley Corridor, Columbia Valley and Revelstoke Corridors, and of industrial lands in the Elk Valley Corridor due to high utilization of existing lands. Commercial lands appear to be somewhat underutilized in the Valemount Corridor and industrial lands appear to be somewhat underutilized in the West Kootenay, Boundary, and Valemount Corridors. POSSIBLE CONSTRAINTS TO EXPANSION AND NEW INVESTMENT Data generated from surveys and interviews with investors and economic development practitioners (EDPs) were analyzed to better understand possible constraints to employment lands. Aside from the above-identified corridors that may lack supply and the possible investor-parcel matching problem, data suggest additional factors that may constrain the use of available employment lands including conflicting land use ideas 19 and the presence or absence of an Official Community Plan. As highlighted in Table 8 below, land uses creating possible external impacts include: commercial zoned areas, industrial zoned areas, mining tenures, and forestry tenures. Potentially impacted land uses include: residential zoned areas, parks, recreation tenures, community watershed areas, and the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR). Constraints may occur when these possibly conflicting land use areas bump up against one another. The utilization of commercial, industrial, mining and forestry designated lands adjacent to ‘environmental land assets’ 20 may be restricted by land use conflicts. Figures 20, 21 and 22 highlight environmental land assets in the southeast, southwest and northern parts of the region, including national and provincial parks, ALR, and community watersheds. These environmental land assets are key considerations as a sustainable development approach to land use planning embeds a consideration of not only strictly economic assets, but also environmental, social, and cultural assets into the planning process. Sustainable development 21 is about meeting the needs of today without compromising the needs of future generations. It is about improving the standard of living by protecting human health, conserving the environment, using resources efficiently and advancing long-term economic competitiveness. It requires the integration of environmental, economic, social, and cultural priorities into policies and programs and requires action at all levels –by citizens, industry, non-profits and governments. 19 Advisor noted that conflicting land use ideas was a key factor constraining industrial growth. Represent lands designated for national parks, provincial parks, community watersheds and the agricultural land reserve. 21 Government of Canada definition. http://www.ec.gc.ca/dd-sd/ 20 Employment Lands Final Report Figure 20.Southeast Basin-Boundary Environmental Land Assets Employment Lands Final Report Figure 21. Southwest Basin-Boundary Environmental Land Assets Employment Lands Final Report Figure 22. North Basin-Boundary Environmental Land Assets Employment Lands Final Report PERSPECTIVES OF BUSINESSES ON LAND ZONING EXPANSION CONSTRAINTS Business Retention and Expansion (BRE) research data was also explored to better understand if existing employment lands are sufficient to accommodate investment and business growth. Of the 246 companies reporting expansion plans within the next three years, 64 (26%) reported that a lack of appropriately zoned lands was a barrier to expansion. Table 10. Expanding Businesses Reporting Lack of Appropriately Zoned Land, by Community / Corridor Community / Corridor Total Respondents Sparwood Fernie / Elkford Cranbrook Kimberley Creston Columbia Valley Golden Revelstoke Nakusp Slocan Valley Nelson Castlegar Kaslo Lower Columbia Boundary 64 13 32 57 12 8 108 2 46 80 30 7 19 150 59 687 Total Plans to Expand within three Years Expansion Plans, Constrained by Appropriately Zoned Land % Constrained 27 14 52% suppressed 22 31 6 8 27% 26% suppressed suppressed 54 16 17 35 9 12 8 2 30% suppressed 71% 23% 22% suppressed suppressed 52 26 246 8 4 64 15% 15% 26% According to the BRE data, Nakusp (71%), Sparwood (52%) and Golden (30%) appear to be experiencing the highest degree of expansion constraint (Table 10). Companies reporting this barrier to expansion from Nakusp were primarily from the retail trade and manufacturing sectors. Sparwood companies were primarily from the construction and other services sector. Companies from Golden were primarily from the accommodation and food services and retail trade sectors. An analysis of BRE data against the land inventory data suggests that land supply is sufficient in Nakusp, but insufficient in Sparwood and Golden to accommodate expansion and new investment. There are 29 vacant commercial and 30 vacant industrial parcels in the Nakusp Retail Trade Area. It appears as though the land constraints reported in Nakusp may be the result of a matching issue. However, companies in Sparwood are likely constrained, as there are only 9 vacant commercial and 3 vacant industrial parcels available. Inventory data for the Golden Retail Trade Area includes 0 commercial and only 1 industrial vacant parcel. These numbers seem low and should be reviewed and validated by the Town of Golden planning department. Using the corridor level analysis, the Columbia Valley Corridor has 24 commercial and 1 industrial parcel. A comparison of this corridor-level inventory data against the 16 companies reporting appropriately zoned land as a barrier to expansion suggests available lands in Golden are not sufficient to support expansion and/or new investment. A sectoral analysis was also conducted on the BRE data at a regional level to better understand the types of lands that are limiting expansion and / or new investment (Figure 23). Data suggest the retail trade and manufacturing sectors are experiencing expansion constraints related to a lack of appropriately zoned lands. An analysis of BRE data against Retail Trade Area land inventory data suggests that the challenges retail trade companies are facing may be more of a matching problem than a lack of available Employment Lands Final Report land. There is an ample supply of vacant commercial lands in all communities where retail trade companies reported a barrier to expansion22. An analysis of BRE data against Retail Trade Area land inventory data also suggests that the challenges manufacturing companies are facing may be more of a matching problem than a lack of available land. (See Appendix B). There is an ample supply of vacant industrial lands in all communities where manufacturing companies reported a barrier to expansion. Retail Trade Manufacturing Professional, scientific and technical… Other services (except public… Accommodation and food services Information and cultural industries Construction Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting Transportation and warehousing Finance and insurance Arts, entertainment and recreation Real estate and rental and leasing Wholesale trade Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas… 0 19 15 10 8 7 7 6 5 3 2 1 1 1 1 5 10 15 20 Figure 23. Expanding Businesses Reporting Lack of Appropriately Zoned Land, by Sector 22 Note that additional community level data from Golden is required to better understand retail trade constraints specific to that community. Employment Lands Final Report RDI TOOLS TO SUPPORT EXPANSION AND NEW INVESTMENT COMMUNITY EMPLOYMENT LANDS INVENTORIES An analysis of the employment lands inventory at the Retail Trade Area (RTA) scale allows for an improved local-level understanding of available commercial and industrial lands, which could inform future planning and investment attraction efforts. Municipalities are encouraged to review their Community Employment Lands Inventory to help validate the data and to identify and address any data gaps. The RTA level inventories will be further refined after a period of data validation and data collection to address zoning gaps. Community Employment Lands Inventories for each of the regions’ 28 municipalities are available online at www.cbrdi.ca through the communities section of the RDI website. COMMUNITY PROFILES Updated each spring, the RDI’s series of Community Profiles reports on an extensive set of socioeconomic statistics for each of the region’s municipalities. These profiles provide an overview of conditions related to issues such as demographics, housing, the labour force, and business. The information in these profiles may encourage decision makers to further investigate local trends. SITE SELECTOR TOOL: MATCHING AVAILABLE LANDS TO INVESTOR NEEDS In an effort to help businesses and investors connect to available employment lands, a site selector tool was developed as part of the Digital Basin portal. Businesses, investors, realtors, and economic development practitioners can search the online Regional Employment Lands Inventory for parcels that meet complex query criteria, including: x Location x Zoning (choose one of 7 major zoning types) x Developed (has building or land improvements) or undeveloped x Transportation (distance to major highway, transit) x Services (distance to power and water) x Minimum and Maximum Parcel Sizes x % Grade (minimum % of area of parcel under a certain grade) o Slope Classifications 0-3%, 3-10%, 10-20%, >20% Locating the Tool The Site Selector Tool is accessed via the Digital Basin, which is located at http://www.cbrdi.ca/state-ofthe-basin/digital-basin-portal. In the Table of Contents (TOC), open the Cadastral Fabric folder and click the symbol next to the Parcels layer. This will open the data window. Figure 24. Digital Basin Layers Tab Employment Lands Final Report In the Data window, the Info tab gives a brief description of the tool. Click on the Table tab to access the tool and select your criteria. Figure 25. Site Selector Tool Using the Tool Once the query criteria are selected, click on the Search button. You will see a message that it is executing with a spinner indicating it is running. Figure 26. Using Site Selector Tool Accessing Search Results Once the search is complete, the parcels that meet the criteria are displayed in a table. The parcel dataset that is chosen by the tool is returned. Each dataset has its own format that is dependent on the information that is available for the selected geography. Figure 27. Accessing Search Results Click on the “Zoom To” icon in the table to zoom to the selected parcel. It will show up as a highlighted polygon on the map. At this point you can choose to turn on the Parcel and Zoning layers (or any other layers of interest) while exploring the results on the map. For technical details or instructions on using the Site Selector Tool, please refer Site Selector Tool User Guide (http://www.cbrdi.ca/wp-content/uploads/DigitalBasinUserGuide.pdf) or tutorial video (http://www.youtube.com/embed/D4rzSZs31do?rel=0). Employment Lands Final Report CONCLUSION With the potential exceptions of industrial lands in the Elk Valley Corridor and commercial lands in the Columbia Valley Corridor, analyses suggest that there is an adequate supply of commercial and industrial lands to accommodate new investment and expansion of existing companies. While a number of companies reported a lack of appropriately zoned land as a barrier to expansion, an analysis of the land inventory suggests many of these concerns are the result of a matching problem rather than a lack of appropriately zoned available land. It is important to note that while this analysis identifies vacant lands, available data did not allow for the identification of vacant lands that are for sale. Economic development assets with respect to government services and the overall business climate include access to suppliers and markets (including proximity to US border and couriers), highway and road infrastructure, inspections and licensing, waste management, workforce development (K-12, Colleges, workforce quality), workforce attraction and retention (cultural and recreation amenities), and business supports (i.e. Community Futures, Chambers of Commerce). Possible gaps exist in the availability of warehousing, key infrastructure assets (access to port facilities, rail transport, airport access, telecommunications, development approval processes), aspects of workforce development (technical training), workforce attraction and retention (availability and stability, housing), business supports (Business Improvement Areas, tourism services), and economic development (local tax structure, local business climate, local government). According to economic development practitioners, the region has a track record of successful economic development projects, communities are connected with in-region business supports, there is a commitment to economic development on behalf of local leadership, and there are diverse stakeholders involved in economic development. Capacity challenges are apparent with respect to knowledge of economic development by elected officials and lack of history of a cross-sectoral approach on community projects. Future efforts should focus on promoting the use of the Site Selector Tool to support the identification of suitable lands for business expansion and new investment. Existing businesses, new investors and economic development practitioners are encouraged to utilize the tool. Local governments are encouraged to continue to provide the RDI with annual updates to cadastral data to ensure the tool remains relevant. Planning departments are encouraged to consider the use of a regional cadastral data dictionary, which would allow for a common language across regional districts and municipalities, in turn creating a seamless approach to future updates to the regional parcel fabric. The regional real estate board is encouraged to provide the RDI with MLS data, which would further inform businesses and investors. This data would allow users to search vacant lands that are for sale and to connect with the designated realtor. Finally, the region is encouraged to engage in development planning processes at a regional scale in order to capture landscape level land use opportunities and possible limitations. Future research could address gaps in zoning data for the five municipalities within the Regional District of East Kootenay. In addition real estate and topographic data could be used to further identify lands for sale or lease that are located on a useable slope. Employment Lands Final Report POSSIBLE NEXT STEPS The Employment Lands project advisory committee should consider the following possible next steps. Resources and organizational leads would be required to undertake possible next steps outlined below. 1. Enhance the Employment Lands Inventory and related analysis a. Validate data with economic development practitioners and local government planners b. Standardize the collection and consolidation of land use data (i.e. consider use of a regional data dictionary across local government planning departments) c. Address data gaps i. Secure zoning data for Canal Flats, Elkford, Fernie, Invermere, and update Kimberley’s current dataset ii. Secure MLS data to identify vacant lands available for purchase iii. Incorporate employment lands on reserves in the region d. Consider slope, real estate, property values, agricultural lands, a more in-depth analysis of underutilization and changes in the inventory over time (ownership, vacancy, land values) in future analyses e. Refresh inventory and related regional and Retail Trade Area maps annually 2. Use the Employment Lands Inventory and Site Selector Tool to promote and accommodate business expansion and new investment a. Promote and track the use of the Site Selector Tool b. Encourage the use of Digital Basin data layers in site selection searches to expand the users’ consideration of related economic, social, cultural and environmental assets c. Use the Employment Lands analysis to support cross-community investment referrals d. Enhance the Site Selector Tool and add additional Digital Basin data layers based on user feedback 3. Mitigate future possible land use conflicts a. Encourage the use of Digital Basin data layers in site selection searches to expand the users’ consideration of possible land use conflicts (proximity to residential areas, watersheds, parks, etc.) b. Further coordinate development planning processes at a regional scale in order to capture potential landscape-level land use conflicts c. Utilize the Employment Lands inventory and Digital Basin asset and indicator data sets in future planning efforts Employment Lands Final Report APPENDIX A. DATA TABLES Regional Investments Supported by Invest Kootenay Year Investors Opportunities Inquiries Investments Realized Investment Value 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 (to Dec 1) Total 79 123 128 229 367 418 1344 20 43 86 89 101 208 547 27 90 127 117 150 207 718 5 2 5 4 7 9 32 $840,000 $310,000 $1,235,000 $95,000 $2,548,000 $1,471,000 $6,499,000 No Response Total Respondents Source: Invest Kootenay Government Service Ratings Government Services availability of warehousing access to airport facilities availability of rail transport availability of lands for lease or purchase development approval process availability of appropriately zoned lands airport access telecommunications access to supplies availability of couriers access to markets disposal of waste material recycling inspections (eg. licensing) water and sewer supply highway / road access access to US border Excellent / Good Poor / Fair 82 7 45 473 16 85 Total Respondents Providing Rating 555 23 130 167 195 149 150 239 301 299 289 359 302 377 312 356 490 52 % Excellent / Good 132 664 557 687 687 687 15% 30% 35% 362 325 687 46% 162 311 376 687 48% 158 246 257 246 212 180 150 150 120 93 103 10 308 485 558 545 501 539 452 527 432 449 593 62 379 202 129 142 186 148 235 160 255 238 94 625 687 687 687 687 687 687 687 687 687 687 687 687 49% 49% 54% 55% 58% 67% 67% 72% 72% 79% 83% 84% Business Climate Ratings Business Factors technical training local tax structure economic development workforce availability housing workforce stability local business climate Business Improvement Area local government tourism services workforce quality Colleges Community Futures K-12 cultural / recreational amenities Chamber of Commerce Excellent / Good Poor / Fair Total Respondents Providing Rating No Response Total Respondents 137 170 182 197 226 236 268 5 232 31 309 258 29 343 344 340 360 382 350 335 376 7 317 33 273 220 18 178 481 510 542 579 576 571 644 12 549 64 582 478 47 521 206 177 145 108 111 116 43 675 138 623 105 209 640 166 687 687 687 687 687 687 687 687 687 687 687 687 687 687 28% 33% 34% 34% 39% 41% 42% 42% 42% 48% 53% 54% 62% 66% 400 30 192 0 592 30 95 632 687 662 68% 100% Business Retention and Expansion Sector Representation Sector Retail Trade Professional, scientific and technical services Manufacturing Accommodation and food services Information and cultural industries Other services (except public administration) Construction Arts, entertainment and recreation Health care and social assistance Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting Finance and insurance Real estate and rental and leasing Transportation and warehousing Wholesale trade Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction Administrative and support, waste management and remediation services Utilities Educational services Public administration Management of companies and enterprises Employment Lands Final Report % Excellent / Good Number 160 92 87 79 46 45 30 30 21 20 19 19 10 8 5 % 23.4% 13.5% 12.7% 11.5% 6.7% 6.6% 4.4% 4.4% 3.1% 2.9% 2.8% 2.8% 1.5% 1.2% 0.7% 5 3 3 2 0 684 0.7% 0.4% 0.4% 0.3% 0.0% 100.0% EDPs Perceptions of Regional Economic Development Capacity strongly disagree BRE Economic Development Capacity Diagnostic 1 Planning & Action Our community has a shared vision for our long-term future. (priorities identified across economic, social, cultural and environmental priorities) 10% Our community has a current economic development plan and it is connected to broader planning and related action. (ED priorities aligned with social, cultural and environmental priorities) 10% Economic development initiatives have been successful (as measured using pre-defined metrics). 14% Governance & Leadership Elected officials understand how to participate in efforts aimed at local and regional economic development. (elected officials knowledge) 0% Local government staff understands how to participate in efforts aimed at local and regional economic development. (local gvt. staff knowledge) 5% Human and financial resources are in place to advance economic development priorities. (resources are in place) 14% Our community leaders are committed to actively advancing economic development opportunities, i.e. findings resulting from BRE. (commitment to advancing prioritizes) 0% Networks & Linkages Economic, social, cultural and environmental groups work together on successful community projects. (healthy relationships / integration of sectors/ priorities) 5% Our community is connected to the networks and supports available within our region. (i.e. CF, credit unions, employment service provider, colleges) (connectivity regionally) 24% Our community is connected to the networks and supports external to our region (provincial / federal government / industry associations). (connectivity beyond our region) 0% Engagement A diverse group of stakeholders are involved in economic development planning and action. (diversity of actors involved) 15% There is a high level of involvement by stakeholders in economic development. (level of involvement) 10% The business community is actively involved in informing economic development. (alignment with business community) 0% Employment Lands Final Report strongly agree 2 3 4 5 6 7 Average Rating 10% 24% 14% 10% 24% 10% 2.78 29% 10% 5% 14% 19% 14% 3.00 43% 33% 0% 5% 0% 5% 4.41 10% 5% 0% 15% 35% 35% 1.35 14% 29% 5% 10% 19% 19% 2.63 10% 33% 0% 14% 19% 10% 3.13 19% 48% 10% 14% 10% 0% 3.48 14% 19% 14% 10% 14% 24% 2.52 14% 38% 0% 10% 10% 5% 3.89 5% 42% 5% 26% 21% 0% 2.88 35% 15% 0% 15% 15% 5% 3.70 14% 38% 5% 14% 5% 14% 3.30 30% 20% 10% 15% 10% 15% 3.00 Vacant Private Lands Vacant Commercial Parcels Vacant Commercial Area Vacant Industrial Parcels Vacant Industrial Area Vacant Other Parcels Vacant Other Area Total Parcels 76 258.82 46 9,791.25 385 64,549.26 507 74,599.33 58 1,038.10 2 210.48 548 107,844.77 608 109,093.35 8 37.37 2 8.10 201 294,668.97 211 294,714.44 Revelstoke Corridor 33 572.11 25 430.28 180 137,505.48 238 138,507.87 Southeast Kootenay Corridor 112 482.35 81 1,771.83 930 228,576.01 1123 230,830.20 33 152.22 8 111.16 43 4,708.50 84 4,971.87 216 1,906.48 313 4,447.35 2240 405,387.98 2769 411,741.81 536 4,447.46 477 16,770.44 4527 1,243,240.98 5540 1,264,458.87 Vacant Commercial Parcels Vacant Commercial Area Vacant Industrial Parcels Vacant Industrial Area Vacant Other Parcels Vacant Other Area Total Parcels Total Area 1391 8680.16 176 18667.56 8477 152023.37 10044 179371.09 1974 26968.65 17 3015.82 11115 2407297.09 13106 2437281.56 618 11306.05 107 35611.39 7408 543778.99 8133 590696.43 786 6212.8 178 3288.43 4211 164407.89 5175 173909.12 1436 12115.24 539 7579.87 21936 590831.52 23911 610526.63 169 763.61 41 2224.08 762 15034.06 972 18021.75 3655 14837.4 844 19058.68 32348 832606.78 36847 866502.85 10029 80883.91 1902 89445.83 86257 4705979.7 98188 4876309.45 Corridor Boundary Corridor Columbia Valley Corridor Elk Valley Corridor Valemount Corridor West Kootenay Corridor Total Total Area Total Private Lands Corridor Boundary Corridor Columbia Valley Corridor Elk Valley Corridor Revelstoke Corridor Southeast Kootenay Corridor Valemount Corridor West Kootenay Corridor Total Employment Lands Final Report Vacant Private (%) Corridor Boundary Corridor Columbia Valley Corridor Elk Valley Corridor Revelstoke Corridor Southeast Kootenay Corridor Valemount Corridor West Kootenay Corridor Total Vacant Commercial Parcels Vacant Commercial Area Vacant Industrial Parcels Vacant Industrial Area Vacant Other Parcels Vacant Other Area Total Parcels Total Area 5% 3% 26% 52% 5% 42% 5% 42% 3% 4% 12% 7% 5% 4% 5% 4% 1% 0% 2% 0% 3% 54% 3% 50% 4% 9% 14% 13% 4% 84% 5% 80% 8% 4% 15% 23% 4% 39% 5% 38% 20% 20% 20% 5% 6% 31% 9% 28% 6% 13% 37% 23% 7% 49% 8% 48% 5% 5% 25% 19% 5% 26% 6% 26% Municipal and Rural Vacant Private Lands Corridors Boundary Corridor Columbia Valley Corridor Elk Valley Corridor Revelstoke Corridor Southeast Kootenay Corridor Valemount Corridor West Kootenay Corridor Total Parcels Parcels within a Municipality % Vacant Parcels within a Municipality Corridor Area (Ha) Municipal Area (Ha) % Vacant Areas within a Municipality Commercial Industrial Other Commercial Industrial Other Commercial Industrial Other 131 109 1148 63 2 1075 12 4 840 108 48 170 36 0 239 9 4 210 82% 44% 15% 57% 0% 22% 75% 100% 25% 423.61 15330.81 173910.25 1071.73 210.48 427150.74 5857.48 90.76 1610233.95 119.04 1402.92 1246.76 198.57 0 2028.52 41.1 90.76 79009.05 28% 9% 1% 19% 0% 0% 1% 100% 5% Commercial 43 42 98% 726.57 712.75 98% Industrial Other Commercial Industrial Other Commercial Industrial Other Commercial Industrial Other Total 32 435 137 104 1939 36 9 126 281 422 6564 13512 31 170 123 84 293 36 0 14 245 300 1002 3164 97% 39% 90% 81% 15% 100% 0% 11% 87% 71% 15% 23% 550.45 206375.97 556.11 3537.38 561471.24 160.32 193.75 70840.38 5593.47 9713.88 1621402.13 4715401.46 485.16 6687.19 320.57 603.59 27131.61 160.32 0 668.29 5308.94 2525.5 25325.38 154066.02 88% 3% 58% 17% 5% 100% 0% 1% 95% 26% 2% 3% Zoning Employment Lands Final Report Commercial and Industrial Crown Land Corridors Boundary Corridor Columbia Valley Corridor Elk Valley Corridor Revelstoke Corridor Southeast Kootenay Corridor Valemount Corridor West Kootenay Corridor Crown Ownership Federal Provincial Municipal Federal Provincial Municipal Federal Provincial Municipal Federal Provincial Municipal Federal Provincial Municipal Federal Provincial Municipal Federal Provincial Municipal Total Vacant Commercial Total Crown Commercial % Vacant Commercial Vacant Commercial (Ha) Total Crown Commercial (Ha) % Vacant Commercial (Ha) Vacant Industrial Total Crown Industrial % Vacant Industrial 4 13 39 0 2 2 0 3 1 1 2 7 0 7 18 0 0 3 1 5 54 162 4 20 64 1 2 12 2 3 10 17 13 50 0 7 40 0 4 3 21 28 147 448 100% 65% 61% 0% 100% 17% 0% 100% 10% 6% 15% 14% 0% 100% 45% 0% 0% 100% 5% 18% 37% 36% 6.95 104.56 59.48 0.84 0.73 1.11 0.00 5,816.39 3.73 0.83 104.39 49.25 0.00 20.92 52.83 0.00 0.00 8.11 875.07 11.59 33.91 7,150.69 6.95 125.39 122.16 0.84 0.73 19.93 6.95 5,816.39 30.62 36.62 463.67 79.67 0.00 20.92 116.84 0.00 30.00 8.11 3,525.85 43.54 1,797.99 12,253.16 100% 83% 49% 100% 100% 6% 0% 100% 12% 2% 23% 62% 0% 100% 45% 0% 0% 100% 25% 27% 2% 58% 0 28 24 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 2 5 0 9 13 0 0 0 0 46 30 159 0 48 47 0 0 0 0 3 2 1 10 12 0 21 22 0 0 0 1 53 90 310 0% 58% 51% 0% 0% 0% 0% 33% 50% 0% 20% 42% 0% 43% 59% 0% 0% 0% 0% 87% 33% 51% Vacant Industrial (Ha) Total Crown Industrial (Ha) % Vacant Industrial (Ha) 0.00 4,096.77 1,323.24 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 62.15 20.51 0.00 95.62 24.55 0.00 840.49 117.25 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2,938.57 111.34 9,630.50 0.00 4,864.58 2,198.06 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 169.46 22.02 4.14 247.12 297.76 0.00 1,176.11 181.51 0.00 0.00 0.00 16.80 3,535.37 976.74 13,689.68 0% 84% 60% 0% 0% 0% 0% 37% 93% 0% 39% 8% 0% 71% 65% 0% 0% 0% 0% 83% 11% 70% Federal and Provincial Crown Commercial Lands Vacant Commercial Total Commercial % Vacant Commercial Vacant Commercial (Ha) Total Crown Commercial (Ha) % Vacant Commercial (Ha) 17 2 3 3 24 3 5 30 71% 67% 60% 10% 111.51 0.73 5,816.39 105.21 132.34 1.57 5,823.33 500.29 84% 47% 100% 21% 7 0 6 38 7 4 49 122 100% 0% 12% 31% 20.92 20.92 0.00 30.00 886.66 3,569.39 6,941.44 10,077.85 100% 0% 25% 69% Vacant Commercial Total Commercial % Vacant Commercial Vacant Commercial (Ha) % Vacant Commercial (Ha) Boundary Corridor Columbia Valley Corridor Elk Valley Corridor Revelstoke Corridor Southeast Kootenay Corridor Valemount Corridor West Kootenay Corridor 28 0 1 2 48 0 3 11 58% 0% 33% 18% 4,096.77 0.00 62.15 95.62 4,864.58 0.00 169.46 251.26 84% 0% 37% 38% 9 0 46 21 0 54 43% 0% 85% 86 137 63% 1,176.11 0.00 3,552.17 10013.5892 4 71% 0% 83% Total 840.49 0.00 2,938.57 8033.60149 5 Vacant Commercial Total Commercial % Vacant Commercial Vacant Commercial (Ha) Total Crown Commercial (Ha) % Vacant Commercial (Ha) 39 2 1 7 64 12 10 50 61% 17% 10% 14% 59.48 1.11 3.73 49.25 122.16 19.93 30.62 79.67 49% 6% 12% 62% 18 3 54 124 40 3 147 326 45% 100% 37% 38% 52.83 8.11 33.91 208.42 116.84 8.11 1,797.99 2,175.31 45% 100% 2% 10% Corridors Boundary Corridor Columbia Valley Corridor Elk Valley Corridor Revelstoke Corridor Southeast Kootenay Corridor Valemount Corridor West Kootenay Corridor Total Federal and Provincial Crown Industrial Lands Corridors Total Crown Commercial (Ha) 80% Municipal Crown Commercial Lands Corridors Boundary Corridor Columbia Valley Corridor Elk Valley Corridor Revelstoke Corridor Southeast Kootenay Corridor Valemount Corridor West Kootenay Corridor Total Municipal Crown Industrial Lands Vacant Commercial Total Commercial % Vacant Commercial Vacant Commercial (Ha) Total Crown Commercial (Ha) % Vacant Commercial (Ha) Boundary Corridor 24 47 51% 1,323.24 2,198.06 60% Columbia Valley Corridor Elk Valley Corridor Revelstoke Corridor Southeast Kootenay Corridor Valemount Corridor West Kootenay Corridor Total 0 1 5 0 2 12 0% 50% 42% 0.00 20.51 24.55 0.00 22.02 297.76 0% 93% 8% 13 0 30 73 22 0 90 173 59% 0% 33% 42% 117.25 0.00 111.34 1,596.89 181.51 0.00 976.74 3,676.09 65% 0% 11% 43% Corridors Utilized Lands Commercial Commercial Area Industrial Industrial Area Other Parcels Other Area Total Parcels Boundary Corridor 1315 8,421.34 130 8,876.31 8092 87,474.11 9537 104,771.76 Columbia Valley Corridor 1916 25,930.55 15 2,805.34 10567 2,299,452.32 12498 2,328,188.21 Elk Valley Corridor 610 11,268.68 105 35,603.29 7207 249,110.02 7922 295,981.99 Revelstoke Corridor 753 5,640.69 153 2,858.15 4031 26,902.41 4937 35,401.25 Southeast Kootenay Corridor 1324 11,632.89 458 5,808.04 21006 362,255.51 22788 379,696.43 Valemount Corridor 136 611.39 33 2,112.92 719 10,325.56 888 13,049.88 West Kootenay Corridor 3439 12,930.92 531 14,611.33 30108 427,218.80 34078 454,761.04 9493 76,436.46 1425 72,675.38 81730 3,462,738.73 92648 3,611,850.56 Corridor Total Total Private Lands Employment Lands Final Report Total Area Vacant Commercial Parcels Vacant Commercial Area Vacant Industrial Parcels Vacant Industrial Area Boundary Corridor 1391 8,680.16 176 18,667.56 8477 152,023.37 10044 Columbia Valley Corridor 1974 26,968.65 17 3,015.82 11115 2,407,297.09 13106 Elk Valley Corridor 618 11,306.05 107 35,611.39 7408 543,778.99 8133 Revelstoke Corridor 786 6,212.80 178 3,288.43 4211 164,407.89 5175 Southeast Kootenay Corridor 1436 12,115.24 539 7,579.87 21936 590,831.52 23911 Valemount Corridor 169 763.61 41 2,224.08 762 15,034.06 972 West Kootenay Corridor 3655 14,837.40 844 19,058.68 32348 832,606.78 36847 Total 10029 80,883.91 1902 89,445.83 86257 4,705,979.70 98188 Corridor Vacant Other Parcels Vacant Other Area Total Parcels Utilized (%) Commercial Commercial Area Industrial Industrial Area Other Parcels Other Area Total Parcels Total Area Boundary Corridor 95% 97% 74% 48% 95% 58% 95% 58% Columbia Valley Corridor 97% 96% 88% 93% 95% 96% 95% 96% Elk Valley Corridor 99% 100% 98% 100% 97% 46% 97% 50% Revelstoke Corridor 96% 91% 86% 87% 96% 16% 95% 20% Southeast Kootenay Corridor 92% 96% 85% 77% 96% 61% 95% 62% Valemount Corridor 80% 80% 80% 95% 94% 69% 91% 72% West Kootenay Corridor 94% 87% 63% 77% 93% 51% 92% 52% 95% 95% 75% 81% 95% 74% 94% 74% Corridor Total Businesses Experiencing Expansion Constraints Employment Lands Final Report Community / Corridor Total Respondents Plans to Expand within 3 Years Expansion Plans, Constrained by Appropriately Zoned Land % Constrained Primary Sectors Constrained Sparwood 64 27 14 52% construction, other services (i.e. repair & maintenance) Fernie / Elkford 13 Cranbrook 32 22 6 27% information & cultural industries Kimberley 57 31 8 26% retail trade Creston 12 suppressed Columbia Valley 8 suppressed Golden 108 Revelstoke 2 Nakusp 46 17 12 71% retail trade, agriculture Slocan Valley 80 35 8 23% retail trade Nelson 30 9 2 22% suppressed Castlegar 7 suppressed Kaslo 19 suppressed Lower Columbia 150 52 8 15% retail trade, retail / wholesale trade Boundary 59 26 4 15% suppressed 687 246 64 26% Total Employment Lands Final Report suppressed 54 16 30% accommodation & food services, retail trade suppressed APPENDIX B. RETAIL TRADE AREA MAPS