"Kirk’s 38-page report includes values for industrial, non-airport lands, in the Township, with rents calculated at between $1.22 to $1.37 per square foot, based on a return of about six per cent of land value, noting that rates of return for industrial land has declined from the eight per cent prevalent through the 1990s and early 2000s.
Airport lease values range from 31 cents (unserviced) to 57 cents (serviced) at Victoria International Airport to a blanket rate of 0.0278 (unserviced) and 0.0483 cents per square foot for serviced land, in Fort St. John."
"During his election campaign Mayor Rick Green criticized the airport lease rates, saying they are only 25 per cent of current market rates, with long-term, 20-to-40-year contracts. He said this policy is potentially losing upwards of $1 million per year.
However, not only must the airport remain competitive with other regional airports, the land can’t be opened up to general industrial/commercial type business leases.
The airport lands are within the Agricultural Land Reserve, are designated in the Official Community Plan as Urban Growth, specifically Terminal and Agricultural within the Murrayville Plan."
-- The Langley Times
The news behind the news. Exploring the political issues, debates and voting records in the Township of Langley and sometimes beyond.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Langley Airport Lease Rates Resurface
We find it odd that despite Township Council receiving the airport lease rates report on April 6, 2009, The Langley Times has just gotten around to publishing the facts for public consumption. We could understand The Langley Record not publishing the story until April 22nd, but not a newspaper that the community has depended on for it's local news! Note that this Times article by Al Irwin is dated April 24th! So a local blog beats The Times to press?
When the story hit The Langley Mimes, many of us received calls from friends who all opined that perhaps The Langley Record had shamed The Mimes into publishing this article? Perhaps until our story broke, this article just sat in a "To Be Published" file somewhere in The Mimes back office?
We couldn't help notice that this article appears in The Times Business section. But while it could be a business story, this would have been part of Al Irwin's Township Council reports. We know that the Business section of this newspaper is under the greater editorial control of long-time senior reporter Al Irwin. Could it be that this council story sat in the back alley of The Mimes while they published "more important" stories like a spring pig and piglets sucking a teet?
This airport lease rates information was a BIG issue for Mayor Green and Councillor Richter in the 2008 election. Former Mayor Kurt Alberts and Council were bashed big time over this, despite Richter voting twice NOT to raise airport lease rates. Mayor Green wanted to twist Council's arms to form an "Airport Commission" that now we see would only have wasted more tax monies with another commission and staff time. So why wasn't this important story published for 18 days? Looks like a certain Green/Richter Slate publicist is at it again!
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2 comments:
Bingo! A shot directly broadhide on another Mayor Green/Cllr. Richter election promise. Wow, are they notching up the loses big time. Just another example of how he flew in to office without doing his homework, on a series of false promises that the Langley Times bought in to hook, line and sinker and those who voted for him fell like rotten trees in an wind storm ( good anaolgy eh!) I hear that Bucky is a good old Delta buddy of the Mayor's so no wonder they are in bed together and we get damaging news 18 days late. Well documented editor and voters like myself just make note of this for 2011 when all the dirt, false promises and defeats of this mayor will come to roost. Just like the rooster said... cook-a-doodle-do Rick!
The Times is like the SUN - history, so no wonder they are late reporting!
Al Irwin is the only asset the paper has!
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