Transportation Off-Site Levy

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Consultation has concluded

The final bylaw has been adopted and the project is now complete. The final bylaw can be found in the 'Document Library' section located on the right hand side of the page.

The City of Grande Prairie is currently working on updating Bylaw C-1197 - Transportation Off-Site Levy. Off-site transportation levies are funds collected to cover the expenditures related to constructing the regional (arterial) road network within the city.

BACKGROUND

The Municipal Government Act (MGA) permits a council to enact a bylaw to provide for the imposition and payment of off-site levies in respect of land to be developed or subdivided and to authorize agreements to be entered into in respect of the payment of the levies. The City's current Transportation Off-Site Levy Bylaw has not had a formal update since it was adopted September 22, 2008.

HOW WILL STAKEHOLDERS BE ENGAGED?

Online Consultation - The City's engagement platform will be updated regularly to share all information with stakeholders. Stakeholders are welcome to submit feedback to the City's Project Lead - acolter@cityofgp.com or through the question and answer tool at the bottom of this page.

Public Engagement Sessions - The City held a virtual information session via Zoom on February 4, 2021 where landowners and developers were invited to learn more about the current Transportation Off-Site Levy Bylaw and its proposed changes.

BYLAW ADOPTION

Administration will be presenting the draft bylaw to Committee on Tuesday, August 3, 2021 and to Council on Monday, August 9, 2021; delegations are welcome to attend.

A copy of the draft bylaw can be found in the document library for stakeholder review.

The final bylaw has been adopted and the project is now complete. The final bylaw can be found in the 'Document Library' section located on the right hand side of the page.

The City of Grande Prairie is currently working on updating Bylaw C-1197 - Transportation Off-Site Levy. Off-site transportation levies are funds collected to cover the expenditures related to constructing the regional (arterial) road network within the city.

BACKGROUND

The Municipal Government Act (MGA) permits a council to enact a bylaw to provide for the imposition and payment of off-site levies in respect of land to be developed or subdivided and to authorize agreements to be entered into in respect of the payment of the levies. The City's current Transportation Off-Site Levy Bylaw has not had a formal update since it was adopted September 22, 2008.

HOW WILL STAKEHOLDERS BE ENGAGED?

Online Consultation - The City's engagement platform will be updated regularly to share all information with stakeholders. Stakeholders are welcome to submit feedback to the City's Project Lead - acolter@cityofgp.com or through the question and answer tool at the bottom of this page.

Public Engagement Sessions - The City held a virtual information session via Zoom on February 4, 2021 where landowners and developers were invited to learn more about the current Transportation Off-Site Levy Bylaw and its proposed changes.

BYLAW ADOPTION

Administration will be presenting the draft bylaw to Committee on Tuesday, August 3, 2021 and to Council on Monday, August 9, 2021; delegations are welcome to attend.

A copy of the draft bylaw can be found in the document library for stakeholder review.

Consultation has concluded
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    When does the City collect the levy, when the lots are subdivided or when building permits are approved?

    The Northern Menace asked about 3 years ago

    Good morning and thank you for your question.

    If transportation off-site levies have not previously been paid for a section of land, the subdivision of this land or a development permit for the same area may trigger the levies to be owing. If the levies are triggered by a development permit, they would be required to be paid as a condition of the permit (this does not happen often). If a subdivision triggers levies, the developer will be required to enter into an agreement with the City to pay the levies. This agreement typically states that 50% of the levies are required up front, while the remainder are to be divided equally amongst each new lot when the building permit is approved.

    Example: Assuming levies are $60,000/hectare:

    If a single hectare development with 10 lots was completed, the City would require $30,000 up front as part of the development agreement, and then each time a building permit is requested the City would invoice $3,000 until the development is complete.

    Ashley

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    Will the Transportation Levy collect enough money to cover 100 percent of the cost to construct the entire list of proposed arterial road network improvements? If not, what percent of the cost of the future arterial road network will the levy fund? And what percent will be subsidized by City taxpayers?

    The Northern Menace asked about 3 years ago

    Good morning,

    Thank you for your question.  The simple answer is no, this money collected will not be enough to construct the entire road network. The Municipal Government Act (MGA) requires municipalities to be conservative in their cost estimates and without completing substantial preliminary design and geotechnical investigations on every road it is impossible to estimate the final construction costs; therefore we are unable to determine the percentage of costs that will come from City funding sources or grants. 

    The initial two-lane rural construction is typically 100% covered by levy funds, any shortfall in this funding is made up by the developer completing the work.  When constructing the roadways to their ultimate four or six-lane configuration, which is typically completed by the City, other costs that the MGA does not allow to be covered by these levies must be covered by other means.

    There are a lot of intricacies to levies that I would be happy to discuss in detail with you. Please feel free to contact me at the information below.

    Sincerely,

    Ashley Colter

    acolter@cityofgp.com

    780-357-8729

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    More taxes ? Do not think we are taxed enough ?

    Dont have one asked over 3 years ago

    Good morning! Off-site transportation levies are not a tax and updating this bylaw will not directly affect the average resident in Grande Prairie. The current Off-Site Transportation Levy Bylaw has been in place since 2008, and levies are collected from developers whenever new land is developed. These funds are used to construct new major roadways in the city. For example, a portion of the 92 Street twinning and the 68 Avenue twinning was paid for with these levies. Updating this bylaw will address changes that have occurred in the city since the bylaw was last reviewed, including the 2015 annexation and the updated Transportation Master Plan, this will ensure the City is collecting the appropriate amount of levy funds.


     If you have any questions about this feel free to call me directly at 780-357-8729 and I would love to chat!