I'm seeing lots of conversation about this article coming out of the Alberta Municipalities conference this week. Speaking for me only, my personal opinion: while I disagree with this idea, I sure appreciated the conversation it was wrapped up in.

Read More

I’m seeing lots of conversation about how our taxes compare to other cities. Which is great! I love when people get interested in the work of Council. If you ever want to chat in depth: I’m always happy to meet for a coffee (or tea or other beverage of your choice).

But something I do want to contribute to the online discussion:

A reminder that tax RATE is very different than tax AMOUNT. And I’d suggest that RATE isn’t a great way to compare municipal finances since it is dependent on home values. To get math-classie:

Read More

Recently, downtown parking has been a topic of discussion at Council. This is always a touchy topic.

Some of my favourite spots to meet friends are in the City Centre and I make an effort to support our downtown businesses. I’m down there frequently. And I don’t find parking a huge issue. I’m almost always parking within a block of where I want to go. I often walk further to get from my car into Costco than I do to get into a downtown business.

But I also get that lots of people aren’t as comfortable with parking in tight spaces as I am. And many worry that they will have to walk far to get to a downtown business. Which leads to some customers choosing to shop, eat or drink elsewhere just because of parking concerns. This has an impact.

I don’t know if big changes are justified at this time. But there might be some tweaks that could be made, especially concerning enforcement in short term parking zones. And as our community grows, change will be needed eventually. It is worth doing some planning for that now.

Following is a bit more history and thinking on this conversation.

Read More

Important note: this is my personal blog. Any mistakes or opinions expressed here belong to me and me alone, not to City Council or Administration.

Both housing and affordability have been huge topics of conversation around the Council table. People already in Grande Prairie are having trouble finding places to live. And employers are reporting challenges attracting needed employees to our region due to a lack of housing options.

A great deal of effort has gone into attracting apartment building investment. Council has also changed rules to make townhouse development easier. In my mind, these kinds of built forms are the most promising ways to add housing stock into our community.

However, all solutions should be explored. Council has also been talking about the current rules around Secondary Suites. There is openness to re-considering the rules around Secondary Suites, but I don’t think anyone wants a repeat of certain neighbourhoods where past lax rules made for very challenging places to live.

Eight potential amendments to the Land Use Bylaw are coming to Council on Monday….

Read More