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Vernon is now considered the capital of the Okanagan. Vernon has just introduced a Fast Track rezoning process to accelerate property owners, motivating land development. A good example is Vernon recently accepted a proposal from the City land owners that started the Anderson Developments which will house a big box power centre. Vernon worked with a dozen property owners and offered loans to the tune of fifteen million for fifteen year term at a low interest rate of 1.2%. The land owners used the money to accommodate road construction and finance sewer, water and street lighting for the Anderson Business Park.

This strategic move manipulated many big box stores such as Home Depot, Real Canadian Super Store and Kal Tire. To add, a subsidiary of E-Bay has rented top floor under the name of Sutherland Global Services Inc. which will definitely hire some local residents that are in dire need of employment. This manipulation that has taken place will create monies for Vernon from Development cost charges to aide the City to make future income for civic improvements.

Fast Track and Equivalency Programs

Fast Track and Equivalency Programs allows property rezoning to initiate and complete preliminary paper work and expedites process which takes four to six weeks. Prior to these programs the time frame was four or six months and continues to be the time factor in other municipalities.

The developer has to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars doing up front work to appease the City of Vernon just to get a possible maybe for rezoning. This time factor does scare developers away from the area the investment is enormous and couple that with the time factor one has to wait for answers economically these variables are frightening gambles for developers. The afore mentioned equation, causes strife and is a great expense for the developer. The new Fast Track gets a rapid yes or no and with that answer one can diligently begin a development project.

The development of the Outback by Derek Trethewey, an exclusive master plan of 196 unit residential resorts was the first to fast track in Vernon. James Askew states that handling the sales for the Outback Resort without fast track the Outback development would not be able to initiate the Outback Resort for another year by being tied up in the red tape by the business world.