Council delays decision on expansion of BIA zone

By Jeff Helsdon, Local Jouralism Initiative Reporter

Tillsonburg council is seeking more information before implementing a request to expand the town’s BIA zone.

The Tillsonburg Business Improvement Association (BIA) proposed expanding its current boundaries, which are currently confined to the downtown. The proposed expansion would stretch from the middle of Concession Street on the north, along the Stoney Creek gully on the west to Otter Creek, across to Young Street on the South, and then up Vienna Road, crossing the Otter and towards Maple Lane. There would be no impact on residential home owners, but there would be on commercial and industrial properties.

BIA executive director Mark Renaud spoke at Monday’s council meeting about the need for the expansion, pointing out the town’s population has doubled since the BIA was established in 1978, and there are another possible 9.000 future residents with developments that are currently proposed. He said the companies locating in Tillsonburg require infrastructure and a strong downtown.

“That is a core piece in trying to attract and retain talent is to have an attractive place for these people not only to work, but to live,” he said.

The expansion would encompass 30 new properties and would see a decrease in the BIA levy for existing commercial properties in the BIA zone. Renaud explained how the Tillsonburg Town Centre property, including Canadian Tire, pays 50 per cent of the assessment according to a separate bylaw.

Renaud explained the mall will be full by the end of the year, which is unheard of for enclosed malls.

“We already have a situation where we have people who can’t locate downtown because there is no more room,” he said. “An expanded BIA zone will allow for more cohesive planning and potential for redevelopment of the area east of the mall to the Till-Con commercial node (Tillson Ave-Concession Street).”

The new proposed area is based on the 2012 central area design study.

“We want to try and build upon what we are doing to ensure our downtown remains one of the strongest in Ontario,” Renaud said.

He asked council for a deferral of the decision until the BIA’s board of management could comment on the report presented to council, which recommended implementation of the new zone. That report outlined requirements in the Ontario Municipal Act that state a BIA expansion won’t proceed if one-third (66 properties) of the eligible property owners (non-residential) within the current and proposed zone object. Although 50 per cent (15) objected from within the proposed new area, there were only 13 per cent (40) against in the existing area, meaning the threshold wasn’t met.

Renaud also asked for clarification regarding the bylaw dealing with the BIA, the downtown parking bylaw, and the Tillsonburg Town Centre-specific BIA bylaw.

Coun. Kelly Spencer agreed there are many unanswered questions.

“With a larger area, it would seem to me there would be a need for more staff, more beautification on the street, I am sure this has been considered,” she said. “I was just wondering you mentioned lower levy for existing area, but there will be a need for more funding for a larger area.”

Renaud said the BIA board will use careful financial management, including being debt-free by 2028, a contingency for legal fees, and not hiring additional staff to avoid a budget increase. He said there will be different levels of service between, for example Tillson Ave and Broadway, saying the pedestrian traffic is lower on Tillson, and maintenance should be less.

Shane Curtis of Delmer Property Investments, which owns property in both the current and proposed areas, also spoke to council. He previously sent a letter to council on the expansion that several property owners co-signed in both the current and proposed area.

One of his concerns was that the “non-Tillsonburg way” the BIA expansion had been undertaken. He stated that there was no consultation with the Chamber of Commerce and no public meeting to gather business input.

“Typically, Tillsonburg is known for doing a great job of this, and I get there are some rules that have to be followed with the new Municipal Act, but usually Tillsonburg’s ears are open for suggestions,” he said.

Curtis also had questions about the parking levy in the new area and said questions about the expansion weren’t answered.

“How can anybody make an informed decision when you don’t know what all the parts are?” he said

Curtis said there are a lot of questions about the benefits to the businesses in the proposed area.

“Will the side streets and outlying businesses actually benefit from this or will funds continue to be concentrated on the main street,” he questioned. “Concurrently, if the BIA is focused on bringing value and focus to the side streets, will it lose its focus on its true purpose, which is the downtown core.”

It was also noted that the timing wasn’t good for business with the current uncertainty surrounding tariffs. Curtis said the proposal includes industrial zoning as well, and questioned if there were any benefits for these property owners. He told one industrial client of the proposal to have a BIA levy on industrial property, and was told this was unheard of.

Curtis requested that the proposal be cancelled until a full consultation with the impacted businesses has taken place.

Spencer agreed with Curtis about the public consultation and said there was a flaw in the process through the Municipal Act. She didn’t think industrial property should be included either.

“Have you ever talked to anyone higher than municipality, not that it’s your job,” she asked, and was told Curtis hadn’t.

Deputy Mayor Dave Beres, who was chairing the debate due to a conflict of interest declared by Mayor Deb Gilvesy, asked council about the proposed resolution to proceed with the BIA expansion because the objection threshold wasn’t met.

Coun. Pete Luciani said he agreed with the deferral “so we could take a deeper dive into all the new information and go from that point.”

Acting Clerk Amelia Jaggard requested clarification from councillors on what specification information they wanted. Luciani said he wanted more details on the bylaws and more information on how the new area could be impacted.

Spencer said she wanted information on the costs for business, as well as impacts on economic development in the area.

“There’s so many moving parts to this, it’s a little spinny,” Spencer said. “As much information we can get is helpful.”

Council passed a motion to refer the decision to a future meeting, allowing staff to gather additional details on the bylaws and provide recommendations on the implications of economic development in the expanded zone.