Tomahawk Restaurant To Be Taxed Out of Business?

[Stingray2004]

I certainly hope the Tomahawk Restaurant can survive their huge tax bill increase, 'cause I'm out there quite often every month for that fine Yukon breakfast.

Due to a tripling of the property assessment and concurrent tripling of property taxes (apparently amounting to more than $1,000/week), the Tomahawk may be forced to close by December 31, 2010. And that would be a damn shame after 80 years.

Tomahawk Chopped?

By Greg Hoekstra - North Shore Outlook
Published: July 21, 2010 11:00 AM
Updated: July 22, 2010 1:38 PM

It’s just before noon on a Tuesday and the Tomahawk Barbecue Restaurant is quickly filling up.

As customers trickle through the door, four young waitresses briskly wipe down the square wooden tables and top-up glass ketchup bottles in anticipation of the lunch rush.

In one corner a man splashes Tabasco sauce on one of the diner’s signature meals — the Chief Dominic Charlie burger — while an elderly customer in another corner gestures toward a table 15 feet away. “That’s where we used to sit,” he tells the members of his party.

For more than 80 years the Tomahawk on Philip Avenue has been an iconic eatery in North Vancouver. Locally, it’s considered to be one of those hidden gems that adds character to the community. And, year after year, the Tomahawk is voted one of the best restaurants in the city.

That’s why owner Chuck Chamberlain is so upset that soaring property taxes may force his business to shut down at the end of 2010. “If things don’t change, we may have to close our doors as early as December 31 of this year,” says Chamberlain. “I simply can’t afford to keep the place open . . . we’d literally be working just to pay taxes.”

Chamberlain says problems first started at the end of last year, when he received a property assessment from B.C. Assessment.

That first assessment, says Chamberlain, looked fairly ordinary. There was a slight increase in his property value, but nothing unexpected. On December 7, however, a second envelope arrived. Assuming it was nothing pressing, Chamberlain set the letter aside, then forgot about it. “I admit, that was my error,” he concedes. “I thought it was just a confirmation or something.”

Turns out the second envelope contained a notice from the Crown corporation warning Chamberlain that his property had been audited and reassessed. “Your 2010 assessment will reflect a significant increase in the value of your property,” reads the letter.

In fact, Chamberlain’s property value jumped nearly 150 per cent from the previous year. The reason, as he understands it, is due to ongoing developments on nearby Marine Drive.

Chamberlain was given until Feb. 1 to appeal the assessment, but because he didn’t see the notice, he missed the window. As a result, his property taxes for this year — which are determined based on property value — have shot through the roof. “I’m paying nearly triple what I was paying last year,” he says. “I basically have to set aside more than $1,000 a week, just for taxes.”

Shelby Alfred, spokesperson for B.C. Assessment, said she couldn’t comment on the Tomahawk case specifically, but agreed that such a hike would be troubling for any business owner. Her suggestion was for Chamberlain to approach the local assessment office about the predicament, but so far Chamberlain says the only option he’s been given is to wait, then apply for an appeal next year.

However, Chamberlain says he’s recently been in touch with District of North Vancouver senior planner Jennifer Patten, after voicing his concerns to a councillor in his restaurant.

Chamberlain says Patten is now looking into ways that the district might be able to lessen his property taxes. One of the options being considered is re-zoning the property, though it involves a lot of red tape. For now, Chamberlain says he remains hopeful that some kind of solution can be found before he is forced out of business.

“I feel puzzled. I don’t know where to turn. I just want to know what avenues are open for me,” he says.

“I understand that there’s development in the area, but I don’t feel it should affect me,” he adds. “We’re a block and a half away from Marine Drive, and we’re not doing what they’re doing.”

http://www.bclocalnews.com/greater_v.../98943789.html