Proposal: Prior to the SmartCentres public information meeting, reporter Martha Wickett asked land development manager Nathan Hildebrand (NH) and vice-president of corporate affairs Sandra Kaiser (SK) about their development.

Q: Can you outline what you believe are the main benefits of this development to the community?

A: NH - Having more choice for shopping... We know there is a definite need here, a definite market outside of Kamloops and Vernon. People are either travelling outside of Salmon Arm or past Salmon Arm to go to those two areas...

From conversations with business owners and city staff and council, they want to be the regional hub for the Shuswap. In order to ensure that happens, you have to start providing citizens additional service.

SK - We also know when people leave their community, they tend to do other things there... So there is a positive spillover of attracting other business to the community.

NH - It should also lessen the ecological footprint instead of driving 45 minutes or an hour to another location...

After our previous go round, we really took stock as to what the community was saying they wanted. We took a new direction. Environment was a big thing, so we said let’s make sure we go through the right processes that are in front of us that any developer would have to go through. Let’s abide by those, get our approvals and then make another application...

We’re going to protect or preserve through the environmental process 24 acres which is 40 per cent of the site... I don’t think you can find another development in Canada willing to protect that amount of area on their site.

Q: When you say 40 per cent, is that not most of what you can’t develop on anyway because of the RAR (provincial Riparian Area Regulation)?

A: NH - (Along with) the SPEA (Streamside Protection and Environmental Area determined by the regulation), with the additional space here, we’re proposing to have permanent rights of public passage... We’re hoping to have a trail run around these areas... It will provide public access to previously private land.

Q: Back to the 40 per cent..., how much are you giving up that you didn’t have to give up as part of the SPEA?

A: NH - I don’t have the number... The SPEA is the big thing, I think it’s around 20 acres, and I think the additional area is about five or six acres...

SK - It’s a bit of a moving target until we decide how the trail will work.

Q: What are some other benefits?

A: NH - The size of the centre, it’s very comparable to what it was previously. An $80 million investment in community, $1.7 million in taxes to the city... if the it was to be developed all at once – which it won’t be – it will be a four or five year buildout; and $1.3 million in development charges.

SK - With construction jobs, what we try to do, we do this across Canada, we work with our contractors and try to hire locally as much as we can...

Retail jobs, it’s one job per 1,000 square foot of retail space. It should be about 800 jobs – full time and part time. A lot of those jobs are held by students and seniors, the hours are flexible. On top of that, we have a cadre of very good citizens in terms of retailers. SmartCentres... gives back to the community... also our retailers are pretty generous. SmartCentres’ philanthropy is based on the wellness of children... Our focus is children generally.

Q: Do the 800 jobs include the construction jobs?

A: SK - No. The number of jobs would depend on how we phase the program... And it depends on how leasing goes.

Q: And how will it be phased?

A: NH - It depends on how leasing goes and the market... Phase 1 would most likely be whatever the closest anchor tenant (to the highway) is, that would include all onsite and offsite works and the trail. The main road would be in and we’d service the whole site... After Phase 1 is done, it would most likely be the two other anchors on the back. We need that to have the draw to the site to have other smaller tenants to fill up on the front.

One of other things that is a benefit and seems to always come up... is how we’re dealing with storm water on site... We’re bringing storm water management concepts we use in our Lower Mainland projects here to Salmon Arm. It will set a new standard for how storm water is treated in this town.... We will use multi-stage treatment of storm water... through biosoils, infiltration galleries, rooftop storage and oil/water separators... We’re also proposing to treat 140 hectares of the City of Salmon Arm’s water that currently flows untreated into Hobbs Creek and into the lake.

Q: People have argued that the water currently goes through an area where the natural filtration of wetlands is superior...

A: NH - It will be treated better at the point before it reaches Hobbs Creek.

Q: During the OCP (official community plan) review, people are suggesting that a requirement for a sensitive ecosystems inventory be put in the OCP; some people have said they’re hoping this development would consider such an inventory.

A: NH - I’ve heard of that for sure; the assessment we have done is site specific. We are following the regulatory processes that are placed in front of us and any other developer that would want to do something with their land. We can’t make up regulations to be regulated by. We are adhering to the processes placed in front of us and I think we are going above and beyond what is required of us...

It’s interesting how it correlates with our application. Everyone knows we’ve been working on the Riparian Area Regulation and regulatory process for the last year; it’s interesting how the timing of certain things come out.

Q: Some people have talked about the court case in Prince George where First Pro Shopping Centres, your predecessor, was among those charged (of depositing silt in 2002 in water frequented by fish) and (in 2006) was fined $40,000 under the Fisheries Act.

A: SK - We care a lot about our reputation. I don’t know what happened in Prince George; this is the first time I’ve heard of it... We are very sensitive to what the policies and regulations are because we’re operating all over the country... I know Nathan will be involved, the engineer in our B.C. office who works with Nathan will make sure everyone is informed of what the rules are... The Ministry of Environment will be monitoring, everyone will be monitoring.

NH - It’s not only our reputation, but Stantec’s and our biologist...

SK - Especially given the profile of this site in Salmon Arm, we will be especially diligent to make sure we follow everything to the ‘T’.

Q: With the school district’s JL Jackson site there’s been lot of consultation; some people say why couldn’t this be more like that?

A: NH - The main difference is we’re an owner and developer. We own the site and whatever we propose we will build. JL Jackson is a design guideline without a developer on board to develop it. It’s a great concept. Hopefully it works and hopefully they find someone that can follow through with the plan... I think you’re comparing apples and oranges...