The District of Kitimat has its industrial roots right from its beginning, established as a community to serve the Alcan aluminum smelter.

Today, while Kitimat enjoys two active major industries - the smelter and now LNG Canada - there are identified struggles when it comes to smaller scale industrial activity.

An Industrial Land Strategy will guide future light industry in Kitimat, giving the community an outlook on where it can be built, for what purposes, and how to support its development.

The need for an Industrial Land Strategy comes from a number of ongoing concerns the District has heard:

1. Not enough land for light industry

The District consistently hears that there is a lack of available industrial land for new light industrial businesses to locate or existing light industrial businesses to expand.

What we've found so far is that it is not just about serviced, light industrial land existing for this purpose, but its availability for purchase and further use. A lot of existing land for light industrial activities appears vacant or underutilized, but despite this has largely been kept off the market.

2. Light industry use is taking place in residential areas

There has been pressure on the District to permit industrial uses on vacant but residentially-zoned lands. A lack of suitable available land elsewhere within the municipality is cited by businesses as a contributing factor.

The Industrial Land Strategy will ensure Kitimat has an appropriate amount of light industrial and commercial land to address current and future needs, supporting economic growth in the community.

Here is what the eventual ILS will address:

• Identify limitations on available light industrial and commercial land in Kitimat.
• Opportunities for expanding and intensifying available light industrial and commercial land.
• Servicing requirements to support additional light industry.

The District of Kitimat undertook Phase One of the Industrial Land Strategy process from Fall 2023 to Spring 2024, culminating in a Project Outline and a Baseline Report presented to Council on May 6, 2024.

Phase Two of the project will include:

Phase Three of the project will include implementation recommendations, including identifying potential amendments to the District's Industrial policies or regulations and other possible actions.

A team headed by Philip Davies of Davies Transportation Consulting has been engaged to conduct Phases 2 and 3 of the Industrial Land Strategy process. The consulting team will contact stakeholders, including relevant agencies, property owners, and business operators, to gather information and obtain their perspectives on priorities and opportunities related to the Industrial Land Strategy.

Current or potential industrial property owners, and anyone with insights for light industrial and service commercial land in Kitimat are encouraged to participate in this process.

When the strategy is fully drafted and presented to Council the public will also have an opportunity to view and comment on it.

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Reach out using the contact information on this page.