Land Sales Policy changes ahead of Zoning Bylaw

The District has taken and made changes to its land sales policy.

According to Economic Development Officer Jessie Olsen, the Land Sales Policy is due for a review following the adoption of the new Zoning Bylaw. While a full review is still planned, she says “staff have observed a significant increase in property inquiries, and the current policy lacks the clarity and structure necessary to support timely and consistent responses.”

This means that, responding to these inquiries on a case-by-case basis has “consumed a considerable amount of staff time and highlighted gaps in the existing policy, particularly in areas such as pricing, negotiation expectations, and inventory management. Additionally, staff have identified opportunities to clarify language and strengthen procedures related to the addition and removal of properties from the land sale inventory, thereby supporting consistency, transparency, and operational efficiency.”

In response to these issues, staff recommend a series of “targeted updates to the Land Sale Policy to improve clarity, consistency, and transparency in the District’s land disposition process,” which council has adopted.

These changes include (according to the report from Olsen):

that all properties listed for sale be reviewed annually by a qualified appraiser following the release of BC Assessment values, and that individual appraisals be commissioned where assessed values do not reflect fair market value.
that Council will only consider offers at or above the assessed value for District-owned land, and that staff inform prospective purchasers that the assessed value is the set price and not subject to negotiation, except in cases where:
- the purchaser is a registered non-profit organization, or
- the proposal clearly supports the provision of a community benefit or service, as determined by Council.
that all references to staff or Council negotiating land sale pricing or terms with prospective purchasers be removed from the policy.
that language be added to confirm that, in accordance with Section 24 of the Community Charter, public notice of assistance will be issued for any proposed sale below assessed value to a business entity.
that references to posting appraised or assessed values on physical signage be removed, with direction that property signage will identify the parcel only, and that current pricing and details be maintained on the District’s website.
that the roles of staff be clearly defined as administrative only, responsible for coordinating listings, receiving offers, and preparing reports for Council, without engaging in price-setting or negotiation.
that newly acquired District properties, including those obtained through tax sale or other means, require a Council resolution to either:
- add the property to the District’s lands for sale inventory, or
- retain the property for other municipal purposes.
that any changes to the sale status of a District-owned property (e.g., moving a property to reserve, releasing a reserved property, or adjusting the listed price) be posted to the District website as soon as possible to maintain transparency.
that Council may designate any property as reserved, and that reserved property will not be available for sale until such time as Council directs it to be removed from reserve.
that the section of the policy referring to the sale of portions of District-owned land for private lot expansion be removed, and that this matter be revisited following the completion of the full Land Sale Policy and Lot Expansion Program review.

Councillor Gulick wonders what the cost of having all the properties appraised annually would cost. Chief Administration Officer Lisa Scott says the intention is to not have every property appraised every year. “It would be the ones where there is a significant difference between the previous appraisal and the assessment.”

Olsen says the cost of doing the appraisals at once would be “significantly less” than doing the appraisals ad hoc as the district has been doing, but doesn’t has an exact number.

This does not impact the lot expansion program, which is on hold until the zoning bylaw gets passed, which happened at the Monday, May 26 meeting of council.