Ottawa Sun
Published: Friday, September 24, 2004 War on drive-throughs
Walter Robinson ponders the city's shameful shortfall and the trouble brewing with planning guidelines. Hello again, it’s great to be back on the pages of the Ottawa Sun. The last time I wrote about the city budget was May 2003 and we were in the midst of a modestly successful property tax revolt complete with petitions and storming the council chamber. The city was facing a budget shortfall due to cost pressures, a shift in the property tax assessment base, the El Nino effect, blah, blah, blah. At the time, the weeds – things we used to kill with pesticides – on most boulevards in the city were ankle high. $65M shortfall
So it was with a sense of déjà vu that I read the stories earlier this week about the city’s 2005, $65 million budget shortfall which could jack the average property tax bill 6% to 8% higher. (Note: Shortfall is city hall speak for, “oh sh*%, we’re in big trouble.”) As for the weeds around the city, they’re now mid-calf to knee-high. In his recent report to the Corporate Services committee, city manager Kent Kirkpatrick blamed the 2005 budget challenge on inflation, wage pressures, rising fuel costs, etc. Fair enough. But, this is only the tip of the iceberg, to employ the same cliché as the Mayor. The real issue is the city budget as a whole and the smorgasbord of services, programs, grants, handouts, etc., that has been added in over the past six years. This is the rest of the iceberg with which council must grapple. Now, as much as I’d like to lambaste the mayor and council for this mess and their plans to launch yet another stage-managed, public relations consultation effort in the coming weeks, really, what would be the point? The ensuing criticism would only fall on deaf ears. And we know beyond the shadow of a doubt that city council – with a handful of exceptions – is incapable of making the tough budget decisions and returning a sense of focus, purpose and mission to city services. Sadly, the next election is not until November 13, 2006, an agonizing 780 days from now. In the meantime, staff and council will continue to go about their work and, among other things, implement the Official Plan, which brings us back to your morning coffee. I have it on good authority that staff has set their sights on a growing, pervasive and insidious threat to our quality of life: the neighbourhood Tim Horton’s drive thru. Yes, that behemoth of a corporation that runs camps for kids and gives millions to local charities, along with its legion of franchise owners who sponsor local sports teams, now finds itself in the crosshairs of the city’s planning czars. 'Optic pollution'
The Official Plan sets out guidelines for commercial development for big-box retail, gas stations, drive-thru restaurants, etc. However, it seems that some of the guidelines to combat “optic pollution” – I didn’t make this term up – are a bit excessive and not reflective of what most of us call, reality. To start, planners want an uninterrupted sidewalk to run from the street to the door. This is prohibitive for most new projects. Ditto for demands that little or no parking be allowed in front of any new store. And the footprint proposed to ensure 20-plus vehicles in a drive-thru lane would force franchisees to buy land the size of a Wal-Mart store which begs the question, why not just buy a Wal-Mart? In fairness, some of these restrictions make sense in a congested urban, high-pedestrian traffic location. But not in the ‘burbs and outer city where most new development of this type will occur. City planners must also be mindful of the fact that the drive-thru is a function of consumer desires, not a corporate conspiracy. People with mobility issues or the elderly may find it easier to order a large double-double from the car. If you have safety concerns, it’s much safer to order from the driver’s seat to satiate that late-night timbit craving. And the suburban soccer mom (or dad) with three kids in the van – including a whiny toddler – is certainly not about to lug the kids inside on a Saturday afternoon to grab some sandwiches while ferrying around the clan from little Jimmy’s hockey to Becky’s indoor soccer. Life begets reality, reality begets innovation, and innovation begets the drive-thru. Franchise hopping
My local Tim Horton’s does 70% of its business at the drive-thru window, employs 52 people, and contributes thousands of dollars to my community. The owner pays his taxes – including a good chunk to the city – and still manages to turn a small profit. After he and his colleagues work things out with city planners, I’m going to hit the drive-thru and ask him for his suggestions to solve the city’s budget woes. Then, for the price of an iced cappuccino, I’ll bet you dollars to donuts (pun intended) that his suggestions for tackling Ottawa’s financial iceberg will be better than those generated by another round of sham consultations. |