Bells Corners hopes for economic boost from new building project proposal

Business owners in Bells Corners hope a proposal that would seeproperty owners receive some tax relief if they buildonvacant or underused land mightgive the west Ottawaneighbourhooda muchneeded boost.

The "quality and vibrancy" of the Robertson Road corridorhas seen a significant decline in the last fewdecades, Ottawa city staff say in areport that will be considered Tuesday by thefinance and economic development committee.

They describe how 468 businesses, including many chain stores and restaurants, have closed or moved away many to so-called "power centres" in nearbyKanata or Barrhaven.

One of the businesses that relocatedwas furniture storeIKEA, which was once located across fromTheElectrical & Plumbing Store, owned by Jim Sourges.

"It was a huge draw for the area. It was the anchor tenant that Bells Corners hasn't had since they moved out in the mid-1990s,"said Sourges, who also chairs the Bells Corners Business Improvement Area.

But Sourges hopes the proposedcommunity improvement plan something that's been tried before only in Orlans and on a stretch of CarlingAvenue west of PinecrestRoad can reinvigorate Bells Cornersand draw customers.

"We're really looking to prime the pump to have new development happen here in Bells Corners," said Sourges.

If you build it, you couldreceivesome tax relief

Under the proposal, grants would be offered only after a property is completely developed and its value reassessed.

The City of Ottawa would then give back three-quarters of the new, extraproperty tax the owner payseach year,for up to ten years and up to $5 million.

The city would keepthe other quarter of the increased property tax. Part of the appealforthe city isthat it's possible theincentive couldfinance itself.

Sourges said 52properties have been identified as candidates forpossible development, but he's especially hopeful about certain large tracts.

He sees promise in alarge parking lot thatstretches out in front of one of the last remaining Zellerslocations in the country,at the intersection of MoodieDriveand Robertson Road.

There's also a promising emptylot on Robertson Road,wherethe former Vox Lounge was torn down in 2010 after standing vacant for seven years.Another acreage with potential sits tucked behind the commercial strip, adjacent to a trailer park.

Defence employees moving into former Nortel

The six-year-oldBIA hasworked hardto convince businesses to set up inBells Corners, said College Coun. Rick Chiarelli, also aBIA board member.

At one point, said Chiarelli, there were 17 boarded-up storefronts in Bells Corners.But the new tax relief proposal will be the kickstart the area really needs, he added.

"The timing of this report is exactly right," saidChiarelli, who promised to revitalizebusiness in Bells Corners during the last municipal election, a commitmentthe mayor also made.

Thousands of national defence employees and potentialfuture diners and shoppers are finally expected to start working out of the old Nortel campus before the end of the year, he said.

"If we in Bells Corners don't use this opportunity to capture the customer potential in that," Chiarelli said, "then we're going to miss a major opportunity."