Quote:
Originally Posted by braymondg
The flag may be for wind direction and also for display of the construction company that is putting up the steel frame. The Flag has a company logo on it with letters "MSE" on it.
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Okay yes that would make sense then. I thought the flag was red and white so I kind of asssumed it was a Canadian flag. A company flag makes more sense though.
I found an interesting article in the Chronicle Herald this morning (at the bottom of the post). Apparently Charlottetown is going to somehow increase the taxes on vacant properties in order to make a vacant lot less affordable. I only had one question bout this though, maybe "braymondg" can answer it. What is the vacancy rate like compared to other cities in the region?
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Owners of vacant P.E.I. businesses put on notice
By ANDY WALKER
Tue. Feb 3 - 4:46 AM
CHARLOTTETOWN — Owners of vacant commercial properties in downtown Charlottetown could soon see a tax break disappear in the 2009 municipal budget.
Currently, if a commercial property is vacant for six months or more, it then becomes taxed at the residential rate. That amounts to a considerable tax saving, since the residential rate of $1.56 per $100 of assessment is half the commercial levy.
Mayor Clifford Lee said Monday the idea was put forward by representatives of the Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce during a mid-January meeting with council. A news release from the chamber indicates the "vibrancy of the downtown core" was the major issue expressed during a recent survey of its members.
"For this type of neglect to continue unimpeded is a disservice to the taxpayers of our city, both the business community and the residents," the chamber noted in the release. "As the country’s birthplace, we as Canadians have a duty to ensure the preservation and vibrancy of this historic city."
Mayor Lee said he agrees completely, adding the problem of vacant buildings in the downtown core is not unique to Charlottetown. However, he added, "there is a general feeling around the council table, I think, that owners shouldn’t be getting a tax break for keeping their businesses vacant. Hopefully having the properties taxed at a higher rate will help owners to market their properties more aggressively."
The mayor said if the downtown area of a community has a substantial amount of vacant properties "it’s hard to attract new businesses. If you bring in a potential developer and they see that, they intend to back off."