Developers will pay more for the acquisition of land for future schools after Port Moody and School District 43 resolved a year-long dispute over the annual land estimate and fee schedule.
The schedule, approved by SD43 trustees this week, will increase fees developers pay when building apartments, homes and townhomes. It’s an annual obligation required by the BC School Site Acquisition Charge Regulations and ensures that development growth — not just taxpayers — contributes to the cost of land for new schools.
The new fee regime will likely be in place by the end of the year and affect all new residential development in the Tri-Cities, Anmore and Belcarra.
Under the fee schedule approved this week, school site acquisition charges (SSAC) will increase to $1,000 from $654 for low-density homes while medium-low density will see a fee hike to $900 from $588 per unit; medium density will rise to $800 from $523 per unit; medium-high density will rise to $700 from $457; and high density will increase to $600 from $392.
The money will be collected by the cities of Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, and Port Moody, and the villages of Anmore and Belcarra during the development application process, and will go toward land costs for six new elementary schools in areas slated for future development: Riverwalk, Marigold, Fraser Mills, Coquitlam City Centre, and Hazel Coy in Coquitlam; and Port Moody Centre in Port Moody.
Trustees didn’t comment before approving the new fees at a board meeting Tuesday but previously had been critical of Port Moody council’s reluctance to accept the change.
Twice, PoMo councillors opposed the changes because of concerns about where a future school might go, stalling implementation of the fees for over a year, requiring mediation, which was unsuccessful.
But after temporarily returning from a leave of absence taken while facing a sexual assault charge, Mayor Rob Vagramov helped resolve the impasse, presenting a report to PoMo council during its Oct. 8 meeting in which he explained the situation, after which councillors approved the SSAC.
(He has since stepped aside again to deal with his legal issues.)
Land for the new schools has been identified for areas where development is expected to occur in the future and totals 11.1 hectares, with an estimated cost of $150.9 million, according to the school district.
Friday, SD43 board chair Barb Hobson and PoMo acting mayor Steve Milani sent out a press release acknowledging the resolution, saying that it will help in the planning for new schools.
