An economic advisory panel in Coquitlam that was criticized by a city councillor for meeting behind closed doors has provided important advice to the municipality, according to one of the committee members.
Michael Geller, a Vancouver-based planning and architecture consultant, said more cities should adopt similar working groups like Coquitlam’s Strategic Investment Advisory Panel (SIAP).
“We offer some insider advice that is often difficult for municipalities to obtain when they are negotiating with a developer on a specific project,” said Geller, who has been on the panel for five years (and who writes a column for The Tri-City News’ sister publication, the Vancouver Courier).
He defended the need for the meetings to be closed to the public, saying: “If we didn’t meet in private, I suspect many of the private sector representatives would not share the commercial advice and strategic planning advice that we share with staff and the mayor.”
SIAP began in 2010 with the intention of meeting two or three times a year — “a working dinner type format” — to discuss initiatives from a “30,000-feet view of the city,” according to a staff report. The volunteer members are appointed directly by council and come from the business and development sectors, the report states.
The committee is chaired by Mayor Richard Stewart, while Coun. Mae Reid serves as the council representative.
The meetings are closed to the public and other councillors are not permitted to attend, a fact that was criticized last week by Coun. Bonita Zarrillo, who also noted the imbalanced gender makeup of the committee, which has nine male and two female members.
Stewart responded to Zarrillo’s comments, noting that council votes annually on the makeup and mandates of the various city committees. He said the most recent vote occurred in December and was unanimously approved by council, including Zarrillo.
Geller said the group tries to steer clear of politics and is providing the city with important expertise, citing a discussion over the cost of parking as one example. A few years ago, he said, Coquitlam was considering accepting cash in lieu of vehicle stalls that are required for new developments. Geller said the panel was able to guide council and staff in coming up with a value for individual parking spots, information that developers and real estate consultants would be unlikely to provide during negotiations with the city.
“In order for it to work , you can’t charge too much,” he said. “On the other hand, the city doesn’t want to charge too little, either.”
Another example he points to involved discussions over the creation of a city-run development corporation that could take advantage of some of the new neighbourhoods popping up across the city. There was even some consideration of the municipality getting into the business of building commercial space. Geller, who was president and CEO of the SFU Community Trust, which oversaw the planning and development of UniverCity on Burnaby Mountain, said he was able to share his experience and expertise.
Coquitlam’s panel is unique in Metro Vancouver, he said, although the Urban Development Institute offers similar panel discussions.
A city staff report stated that Surrey has a similar economic development panel that relies on industry experts, but in that case, meeting minutes are posted online, unlike SIAP.
City clerk Jay Gilbert said the closed-door panel meetings comply with the provincial legislation that guides council and committee meetings.
WHO’S ON COQUITLAM’S SIAP?
According to the city website, SIAP has nine members in addition to Mayor Richard Stewart and Coun. Mae Reid, including:
• Michael Geller, an architect, planner, real estate consultant and columnist;
• Ann McAfee, a former co-director of planning at the city of Vancouver and adjunct professor at UBC’s School of Community and Regional Planning;
• Malcolm Earle, senior vice-president at Colliers International;
• Michael Ferreira, the managing principal at Urban Analytics;
• Bernie Magnan, economist and manager director at Bernard Magnan and Associates;
• Jeff Rank of Bentall Kennedy;
• Geoff Nagle, director of development, Western Canada at Morguard Investments;
• Bob Rennie, a Vancouver-based real estate marketer;
• and Iain Black, a former Tri-Cities BC Liberal MLA and current president of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade.
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