DCC hike could hit 50 per cent

By MARKUS ERMISCH Staff reporterJan 07 2007 http://www.kamloopsthisweek.com/
A new bylaw regulating development cost charges (DCCs) is expected to be in place in late summer, pending council approval in March, followed by a provincial nod. The major project included in the bylaw is the expansion of Hillside Drive, which alone accounts for about 20 per cent of the value of projects included in the DCC bylaw, or about $10 million in total, said David Trawin, the city’s director of development and engineering.

Trawin and city staff met Friday to discuss the proposed bylaw as part of a regular biannual review. He said the increase could be as high as 50 per cent. DCCs — charges paid by developers to the city to allow for infrastructure extension to new developments — currently sit at $6,758 for a single-family home. A 50 per cent increase would mean a hike of $3,379 to $10,137. Trawin said DCCs could conceivably drop in the future, depending on the number of development projects and the cost of construction. He said the cost of construction is the main driving factor in this year’s round of DCC hikes. City staff will meet with the Kamloops chapter of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association later this month to discuss the bylaw.