People who build and develop in the city are mostly happy with their experience. But a reputation that St. Albert is not easy to work with still lingers with those who don’t invest here.
Those are some of the findings of a survey presented to city council on Monday. As part of a project dubbed “green tape,” the survey asked stakeholders from the development industry about their experience in working with the city since 2004.
Sean McRitchie, manager of business attraction, said the survey found that St. Albert is “very competitive and comparable in approach and processes taken across the region.”
“St. Albert has come a long way and our development processes are user-friendly and by-and-large the veil has been lifted that St. Albert is coming forward as a business-friendly community now,” he said.
Councillors were overall satisfied with the results from the survey, though some questioned how far the city could go in supporting developers. Coun. Wes Brodhead asked how to attract people who don’t develop here because the city does not allow them to build “how they want to.” He referred to survey respondents saying the city’s engineering standards were a challenge.
Guy Boston, executive director of economic development, said his team meets with all developers, whether they want to build here or not. This approach changed much of the industry’s perception, he said. He also wants to use some of the survey’s findings to create a public relations campaign directed at potential developers.
Based on the survey’s results, administration plans to return to council with an action plan to support the green tape initiative in September. The report will also consider a review of processing times in various municipalities.
Coun. Cathy Heron asked if administration would also compare St. Albert’s growth to other municipalities, such as Spruce Grove. That community had 800 housing starts last year and is growing rapidly. Heron wondered how Spruce Grove is coping with its growth and whether administration should compare its development processes with that city’s.
McRitchie said that’s something “to look at.”
However, city manager Patrick Draper said Spruce Grove is also overwhelmed by its growth.
“We could be higher for sure but I am not sure we want to get that high,” he said.
Heron said survey respondents also asked that incomplete applications be accepted to speed up the development process. She asked if administration is considering the request.
Draper said there is a trend among some administrative staff to complete drawings for developers. But that’s not proper practice, he said. “One of the steps we are working towards is more pre-application meetings so there is a good understanding of what is expected,” he said.
Coun. Sheena Hughes said the majority of survey respondents were residential developers. But the “green tape” project was created to foster non-residential growth. She also worried about the low number of respondents – about 20 – who answered questions in the survey.
“We need more numbers, honestly, to be able to say this is what we actually should or shouldn’t be doing,” she said. “I appreciate what you did … but I am also concerned about taking this and taking it as absolute.”
Boston said the study is the most comprehensive ever undertaken by economic development. He added that many of the developers who responded build in different sectors, not just housing. Developers also like to see rooftops before they consider major commercial or industrial projects, he said.
“Even though it might be a small number it’s probably millions of dollars of development that they do undertake,” he said.
Heron said any follow-up surveys should look at developments since 2011, since the city’s landscape changed significantly since then. She also emphasized that the new developers in the city she has talked to “are very happy.”
Survey background and summary
The city wants to grow non-residential development and improve the way in which it interacts with stakeholders involved in the process. <br />As such, city administration founded the economic development division in 2012. It also created projects to improve processes, find efficiencies, and increase the effectiveness of programs and services. One of these ‘continuous improvement’ projects was dubbed as ‘green tape.’ <br />As part of the project, a survey was sent to five sectors of the development industry (developers, home builders, engineers and planners, general contractors and home owners) to ask about their experiences in working with the city. Of the latter two, few responded, though homeowners and contractors sent the bulk of applications to planning and development in 2014.<br />Sixty per cent of all respondents also never developed in St. Albert. One respondent said they “heard that St. Albert was difficult to work with” so they didn’t look at land here. Another said applications were held up. And one commented that reputation was a factor in not choosing St. Albert. <br />Responses of developers who worked with the city were generally positive. They said staff were professional and knowledgeable and helped with applications. Processing times for applications are average or good, and compare to other municipalities.<br />But developers also said that land uses were outdated, preventing them from building a variety of housing. The city also lacked opportunity for smaller lot sizes and their product often does not fit St. Albert.<br />Landscaping standards created another challenge. Developers said the city’s standards do not support sustainable community growth. Respondents said that St. Albert’s standards were greater than in other communities, and contributed to higher taxes and challenges in attracting consumers.
