The Town of Banff is one step closer to moving ahead with its inventory of commercial floor space in the national park town’s six commercial districts.
A Request for Proposals (RFP) for the commercial floor space administration system was issued Tuesday, Jan. 25, and the closing date for submissions is Tuesday, Feb. 8.
The idea is to be able to better analyze and administer Banff’s commercial landscape as the town approaches commercial build-out, expected in 2020.
Town officials say the inventory of all commercial buildings will help with proposed amendments to Banff’s land use bylaw and inform future policy decisions.
The purpose of the project, they say, is to create a highly detailed geo-database of commercial floor space in order to administer floor space in town.
Since 1998, the federal government has capped Banff’s additional commercial development to 350,000 square feet. The town has also been limited to a 1.5 per cent annual growth rate.
“There may be some opportunity for commercial space transfer of development rights,” said senior planner Darren Enns.
“However, the prevailing assumption is that no additional commercial floor area will become available once Banff reaches commercial build-out.”
The $40,000 project is being split fifty-fifty between the Town of Banff and the Banff Lake Louise Hotel Motel Association.
