A familiar issue at North Battleford city council met a familiar end Monday.
The Mennonite Community Closet was frustrated again in their latest request to expand their second-hand clothing store on 100th Street.
The current zoning bylaw and its provisions clamping down on second-hand stores in the C-1 Commercial District have proved a barrier to the efforts by the Community Closet to expand their current location. The organization has repeatedly requested bylaw changes to address the situation, and the latest request went to a vote on Monday.
A resolution was put forward to amend the zoning bylaw provisions, designating second-hand stores as a discretionary use in C1 Commercial Districts. That would have cleared the way for zoning bylaw changes to come forward that would eventually allow the Community Closet's expansion to be approved by council as a discretionary use application.
However, the vote ended 3-3 tie and was defeated.
That vote mirrored an identical vote that resulted from a similar motion in June 2009.
The Mennonite Community Closet expansion plans remain as they were before, still mired in zoning red tape.
The latest discussion was prompted by correspondence by lawyers from Clifford Holm of Holm Meiklejohn law office, representing Mennonite Community Closet. They suggested an amendment to the Zoning Bylaw to permit second-hand stores in C1 Commercial districts at the discretion of city council.
The request was similar to what was debated in May and June of 2009, when amending the zoning bylaw to permit second-hand stores as a discretionary use was on the table.
The difference at the time was that North Battleford's downtown was still overrun with second-hand stores, namely pawn shops. North Battleford council brought in zoning bylaw changes to prevent new second-hand stores from opening up.
Since then, no new second-hand stores have opened and as council learned Monday, a couple more had closed or were in the process of closing down.
In a memo, City Planner Tim LaFreniere posed the question to council of whether or not they were satisfied "that the reduction in the number of second-hand stores downtown as a the result of the present policy has affected sufficient change to allow some relaxation for the existing restrictions."
There was some sentiment expressed Monday to accommodate the Community Closet's request. Councillor Grace Lang said she would support them, noting the public sees a difference between the charitable activities of Mennonite Community Closet from those of the pawn shops. She also noted people wanted to see council allow the Community Closet to expand.
"I have never had a single ratepayer of North Battleford tell me this should not happen," said Lang. "I am prepared to take the steps to make this happen for Mennonite Clothes Closet."
A planning session was talked about and Councillor Don Buglas liked the idea of further discussions and feedback from the public, as did Councillor Trent Houk.
The yes votes of Lang, Buglas and Houk were cancelled out by the no votes from Mayor Ian Hamilton and councillors Ron Crush and Ray Fox.
