Planning, Urban Design & Sustainability City-wide & Regional Planning BIA Program

November xx, 2018

Name of Property Owner Street Address CITY, PROVINCE VXX XXX

RE: PROPOSED RENEWAL OF BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT AREA (BIA) SPECIAL ASSESSMENT NOTIFICATION

COORDINATE: 000-000-00-0000

PROPERTY ADDRESS: STREET ADDRESS,

Dear [Property Owner]

This ‘Special Assessment Notification’ relates to the proposed Gastown Business Improvement Area (BIA) renewal. This Notification and the enclosed materials include: 1. A map of the BIA boundary 2. A letter from the City of Vancouver about BIAs and the BIA approval process 3. A brochure from the Gastown Business Improvement Society outlining the programs and services they provide to commercial owners and their business tenants, as well their ongoing and proposed renewal programs and budget.

You’re receiving this Notification because City of Vancouver records indicate you are the owner of the property at the above address.

BIA programs and services are funded through a special BIA levy billed annually with the property taxes. Your property contributes a share of the levy based on its commercial value. If Council approves the proposed BIA renewal, a BIA levy would continue to be assessed.

If the BIA renewal is approved, your estimated share would be: $0,000.00

Based on your included commercial assessed property value of: $0,000,000.00

A Court of Revision will be held on Tuesday, February 26, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. in Council Chambers, 3rd floor, City Hall. At that time Council will hear complaints from property owners concerning errors only with respect to the names of the assessed owners and the length of the frontage or other measurements of the parcel, and any variation applied pursuant to section 508 (g) and (j) of the .

City of Vancouver, Planning, Urban Design & Sustainability City-wide & Regional Planning, BIA Program 453 W. 12th Avenue Vancouver, V5Y 1V4 Canada 604-871-6304 vancouver.ca

A copy of the Special Assessment Roll, which includes the names of property owners, is filed in the office of the Collector of Taxes, ground floor of City Hall, and is available for inspection during office hours.

Note: A meeting will be scheduled at a later date for Council to decide whether or not to approve the BIA renewal. Therefore, there is no need to attend the Court of Revision hearing unless you wish to report an error in the Special Assessment information respecting this property. If there is no error, but you wish to address Council about the proposed BIA renewal, please write to City Clerk as instructed in the enclosed letter. The Clerk’s office will notify you once the date and time for the Council meeting is set. If you have questions, the attached materials provide phone numbers to contact the Gastown Business Improvement Society and the City of Vancouver BIA Program.

Yours truly,

Peter Vaisbord, BA, LLB, MA (Pln) Coordinator, BIA Program 453 w. 12th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V5Y 1V4 604-871-6304 [email protected]

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Planning, Urban Design & Sustainability City-wide & Regional Planning BIA Program

November 22, 2018

Notice of Proposed Business Improvement Area (BIA) Renewal

Dear Property Owner(s):

Why are you receiving this notification?

The City’s records show that you own commercial property within an existing Business Improvement Area (BIA). The City encourages BIAs as a way for commercial property owners and business tenants to effectively promote business, enhance services, and make their area more attractive for customers. The BIAs allocate funds for the purpose of improving commercial area profile, through various marketing, beautification, revitalization, safety and advocacy initiatives on behalf of their members.

The BIA movement in the City of Vancouver has a very long history starting with the first associations being formed in Gastown and Mt. Pleasant in 1989. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the contribution that your BIA and the many other BIAs located across Vancouver have made to the continued success and sustainability of our City and its business districts.

Provincial legislation requires that BIAs be established with expiry dates. Your BIA’s current term will expire early in 2019. Therefore, in order to continue to provide programs and services to its membership, the BIA will need to be ‘renewed’ for a further term. This letter explains your role in the renewal approval process.

How do BIAs work?

The BIAs are associations managed by a Board of local owners and business tenants elected by their fellow owners and tenants. Funding for BIA programs and activities comes from a special BIA levy paid by all commercial property owners in the BIA, based on each owner’s share of the total BIA commercial assessed value. As part of an existing BIA, your property has been paying a BIA levy annually along with the property taxes. That levy is based on a budget approved every year by BIA members at their association’s annual general meeting (AGM).

After the City receives the BIA levy from the property owners, it turns all of the money over to each BIA association to fund activities on behalf of both the owners and their business tenants.

As most of the property owners pass the cost of the levy to their business tenants, most of the businesses indirectly contribute their share of the cost to promote and improve the business district. As BIA expenses are spread out among all the businesses, the cost per business is small, but the total funding is large enough to impact potential customer traffic and area appeal.

What’s been happening?

Earlier this year, your BIA association reached out to businesses and commercial property owners to receive input on member needs and priorities, to solicit comments on the BIA renewal proposal and budget, and to

City of Vancouver, Planning, Urban Design & Sustainability City-wide & Regional Planning, BIA Program 453 W. 12th Avenue Vancouver, British Columbia V5Y 1V4 Canada 604-871-6304 vancouver.ca

assess support for the proposal. As part of its Annual General Meeting (AGM) or Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM), your association notified all property owners and business tenants of a proposed resolution to renew the BIA. The proposed resolution was approved by the association’s membership.

Please read the enclosed information from your BIA association which outlines all their programs and activities, the benefits provided, and their proposed renewal plan and budget. The enclosed materials also include contact information in case you have questions about BIA activities or the renewal proposal.

What happens next?

Your association has submitted a BIA renewal application to the City. Before the BIA renewal can be approved, the proposal must be considered by City Council. If approved by Council, the BIA will continue to provide area- wide benefits through an annual property levy.

The attached Notice of Special Assessment estimates the amount to be charged to your property in 2019 should the BIA renewal be approved. The estimate is based on 2018 assessed values. Over the program’s lifespan, it is possible your share of the BIA budget may change. Each property owner’s share will be reapportioned annually according to the assessed values determined by the BC Assessment Authority.

A BIA renewal Initiative will not proceed if, within one month of mailing the notification, more than one-half of the assessed owners, representing more than one-half of the value according to the last real-property assessment roll, of the parcels liable to be specially assessed have, in writing, given notice to the City Clerk that they object to the BIA Renewal Initiative. Further, Council’s policy is to also notify business tenants, and to consider rejection of a BIA renewal initiative if one-half or more of businesses (counted separately) object in writing.

If you support the proposed BIA renewal, you need not respond to this letter. If you wish to object, please submit your objection in writing to the City Clerk, Vancouver City Hall, 453 West 12th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5Y 1V4, or by e-mail to [email protected]. The letter or e-mail should include the writer’s name and position, (e.g. owner or property manager), the property owner’s name, and the address, folio number and/or legal description of the property. Written objections should be filed with the City Clerk before 5pm on Friday January 25, 2019.

If you wish further information about the City’s role in the BIA renewal process, please call me at (604) 871- 6304.

Yours truly,

Peter Vaisbord, BA, LLB, MA (Pln) Coordinator, BIA Program 453 w. 12th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V5Y 1V4 604-871-6304 [email protected]

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