Metro Vancouver Chapter of the Commercial Real Estate Development Association (NAIOP) has presented Maple Ridge with two NAIOP Awards for Municipal Excellence recognizing Maple Ridge as the ‘Most Improved’ and ‘Most Business Friendly Municipality’ in the region. This is the second year that Maple Ridge has received these awards.

The NAIOP Awards have been given out for the last five years by the commercial real estate development association. The 2016 Awards were based on an office development project that was sent to all communities replicating the processes a company would follow if they were filing a development application.

The award materials noted that Maple Ridge was presented the ‘Most Improved Award’ based on a 38 per cent reduction in development fees from 2014 to 2016 (due to incentive programs) and a 17 per cent decrease in processing time to 150 days.

Maple Ridge also received an award for “Most Business Friendly Municipality’ based on policies that support temporary tax exemptions on new commercial buildings in the city’s downtown and further incentives for developments that use green building practices. These programs also offer the opportunity for rebates on development fees based on specific criteria.

In her presentation to the association members, Mayor Nicole Read talked about the commitment that Maple Ridge has to constant improvement in our processes. “We are very proud to have received both of these awards for the second year in a row. This recognition inspires us to continue working on streamlining our processing times and ensuring that our fees are reasonable and competitive so we can earn our way back here next year,” she said. “One of the focus areas for Council in 2017 will be to work on identifying and zoning lands for continued commercial and employment generating projects. We have an incredible, fast growing, community and we are proud to have the chance to showcase the opportunities for investment in Maple Ridge.”