The public is closely watching a blanket Olympic bylaw
circulating through municipal hall.
More than 40 community members came out Tuesday to learn more
about the proposed temporary commercial use permits (TCUPs) that could be used
for everything from retail outlets to outhouses during the Games.
Sandy Black, owner of the largest group of independent rental
shops in Whistler, Affinity Sports, came because he is worried about how
temporary VANOC stores could impact his business.
One of the things he was most surprised about was that
Municipal Hall staff do not seem to know how, exactly, VANOC will use the
TCUPs.
“That puts all of us at a real disadvantage, because from a
temporary use standpoint, they (the representatives) don’t know what types of
temporary retail stores VANOC might want to request specifically,” said Black.
“They also do not know which stores or how many stores VANOC is
going to want to sublet from existing retailers.”
He said that while he learned VANOC does not want to open as
many stores as he originally though they did, he still wants to know how many
“Olympic” stores he is going to have to compete with in the winter of 2010.
“The sooner VANOC announces which temporary stores they plan on
opening and which sublet stores they plan on opening, the sooner the rest of us
can start to plan what we are going to do for next season,” said Black.
“We are now having our (buying) cycle interrupted because they
have not been able to provide us with the information to help us decide how we
are going to adjust our businesses, which is really a problem.”
Black is not the only businessperson in town keeping a fierce
eye on the sweeping Olympic bylaw.
Fiona Famulak, president of the Chamber of Commerce, said she
encouraged all of the chamber’s board members to attend Tuesday’s meeting and
make sure they are informed about what the bylaw means.
The chamber also plans to be present at the TCUP public hearing
Monday, Dec. 15, 7 p.m., at MY Millennium Place.
“Most of the questions that came my way were with respect to
retail operations in the village and food and beverage in the village,” said
Jim Godfrey, executive director for the 2010 Games in Whistler, who stood by
the entire evening alongside other staff from the municipality, VANOC, WHA, and
Tourism Whistler.
“There are businesses that want to know how this will impact
their business, and they want to ensure that they are gong to be treated fairly,
and someone is not going to be given an unfair advantage.
“There was also concern about temporary kiosks coming in and
selling food and merchandize. Our response is that is not the intention at all.
We are trying to protect, again, that.”
A lot of curiosity also centred on which applications would
need council’s approval, and which ones senior staff members could approve.
While those regulations would be governed by a different bylaw, it was the
first time that information was made public.
Among the list of TCUPs council would have to approve were both
retail and food and beverage uses in the village, as well as housing compounds.
On the other hand, staff would be in charge of workforce
accommodation, administration offices, washrooms, first aid areas, and any
major transportation facility.
Councillor Grant Lamont said he would like to expand the list
of things council needs to approve to include retail and food and beverage
TCUPs outside of Whistler village.
“The main thing I want to make sure is retailers, food
providers and bar owners realize the expectations they were promised when they
signed onto the whole thing,” said Lamont, who has been talking to people in
the service sector about the bylaw.
On the other side of the equation, a few renters trickled
through the doors Tuesday night to find out how TCUPs could impact Whistler’s
accommodation scene.
Monica Suarez, who has rented in Whistler for 10 years, said
she is worried the bylaw will further squeeze the already stressed rental
market.
“How much are they going to charge?” asked Suarez, pointing to
a section on the bylaw’s information sheet that says VANOC has not yet decided
how much rent it will pay to house its workforce.
If VANOC pays high rents, how would that impact the rates
landlords charge their other renters, she questioned.
Godfrey said one of the things the municipality wants to ensure
is that existing workers are not displaced by the TCUP bylaw.
“There are some tools in place to try and ensure that doesn’t
happen. That is a prime emphasis of ours,” he said.
More information on the TCUP bylaw — which opens up temporary commercial uses related to the Games — is available on the municipality’s website at www.whistler.ca.