BCBUSINESS.CA NOVEMBER 2017 BCBUSINESS 61
Digital disruption
The digital technoloy sector is a boon to the economy (see
page 64), but some argue that allowing its businesses on
industrial lands is hindering traditional industrial players.
Peter Spotzl says the area around his Vancouver metal fab-
rication shop is under pressure from rezoning that allows for
much larger buildings. As part of a plan to encourage digital
tech use, the City of Vancouver created a special zone for a
small parcel of land between Quebec Street and the lane just
west of Main Street, bordered to the north and south by East
Second and East Sixth avenues, respectively. The property's
owners, Hootsuite Media Inc.
CEO Ryan Holmes and Westbank
Projects Corp. founder Ian Gillespie, negotiated with the city
for higher density, so it raised the allowable Œoor space ratio
from three to Žve times the site coverage.
As a result, Spotzl says, landlords are holding properties as
they await zoning for similar density, which pushes property
values and taxes even higher. And because of redevelopment
potential, taxes have already risen, an expense that gets passed
on to small business leaseholders like him. Luckily his landlord
hasn't raised his rent in a couple of years, Spotzl says.
Then there's residential gentriŽcation—potentially the big-
gest threat. Metro Vancouver chair Moore says there's a strong
case for converting certain industrial zones to residential, such
as the 33-acre oceanfront Flavelle sawmill site in Port Moody.
Mill & Timber Products Ltd., which owns the mill, has come
up with a master plan to turn it into a mixed-use residential,
o–ce, retail and light-tech community. At full buildout 20 or
so years from now, it would increase Port Moody's population
by 7,000, or 20 per cent. City council has approved the project,
which now goes to the Metro Vancouver board for a vote on
whether to remove the site's industrial designation under the
Regional Growth Stratey. Moore expects it to be one of those
rare industrial land rezonings that will pass. The site is close to
the new Evergreen line, and it's valuable waterfront property
surrounded by a growing residential community.
"I think it's going to be a balance. I think you will see
