Issues of whether to allow Northwest Community Futures to build a new building in the vicinity of Frontier Mall - and larger implications of how that might impact the downtown core - were front and centre at a special informational meeting of North Battleford city council Monday.
At issue is whether to grant Northwest Community Future's discretionary use application to build in the C-3 retail zone in the southeast quadrant.
But the proposal has garnered opposition from the City's own planning department, who view the proposed development as an "office building" and recommended turning down the discretionary application. City councillors had pushed back a vote on that recommendation to Sept. 10, seeking more information on the subject.
At City Hall Monday, representatives of Northwest Community Futures, including their board's secretary-treasurer Keith Bater and general manager Pat Redl, made the case for placing their building at their proposed location across from Great Canadian Oil Change near the Frontier Mall.
They made the case that the proposed development should not be considered an "office building" as described by administration officials, but a "business conference centre" with full conference facilities and rooms. These facilities would host seminars and video conferencing and it could also be leased out to clients.
They made the pitch that such a centre would fit into their proposed location in the C-3 zone. Bater also made the case the proposed location was the best to service their clientele.
"One of the things that business people do is cater to their clientele and listen to their clientele," said Bater to council. "We have done this and we are hearing it loud and clear."
He described their clientele as including entrepreneurs in the business community, including store front and home based businesses. The organization told council they sought a building with visibility, good parking and easy access.
Bater also told council they needed to locate in the "business centre" of North Battleford, which he identified as the southeast quadrant.
"We think we need to be there."
He also noted his organization had been located downtown before, and Bater noted that there was a certain discomfort expressed by clients about the downtown location.
City planner Tim LaFreniere did not appear to be buying Bater's description of the proposed use as a "conference centre," as LaFreniere repeatedly used the term "offices" in his response to council.
LaFreniere outlined the impact approving a discretionary use application for office buildings might have on the downtown core, the traditional core location for government, administrative and professional offices.
Those had been maintained as long as the city has had zoning bylaws, LaFreniere told council.
"Downtown has been our community centre for years," said LaFreniere.
He put the case to council that approving the discretionary use application would be "precedent-setting" and noted the impact on the downtown core.
"We see the core of North Battleford's business still focused on downtown," said LaFreniere.
"The challenge for the community is if you make the decision to allow this office function to begin to go into any all-commercial districts, is that it becomes another decision at which those uses which define downtown become watered down throughout the community, and all business districts begin looking the same, no matter where you go anywhere in the community."
LaFreniere likened it to "death by a thousand cuts" and expressed the view that such a decision would open the door to office development happening outside the downtown.
Councillor Trent Houk seemed to have his mind made up in favor of Community Futures' application.
Houk said the issue had nothing to do with the downtown and was simply about someone wanting to buy some property and provide a service.
"I have no problems with this being constructed where it is," said Houk.
Others on council were more on the fence. The presentations from all sides of the issue gave Counillor Don Buglas many issues to think about.
"Have I made up my mind yet? No. Did this muddy the waters a little bit more for me tonight? I say yes, but that's OK. Makes you think a little more and hopefully listen a little more and get more opinions."
Buglas and others on council also expressed their reluctance to "chase away" what Community Futures brought to the community. Councillor Ray Fox expressed support for the services Community Futures provided.
The issue will be back at council Sept. 10 for a vote.
In speaking to reporters after the meeting Bater again reiterated that Northwest Community Futures "absolutely want to be here" in the Battlefords,
But he did raise the spectre of their organization being forced to look elsewhere if their zoning application was not approved.
"We are part of the Northwest. We are a huge area and there are 71 communities," said Bater to reporters.
"We have had invitations from other communities - 'come build in our house.' So again, our board will have to look at that."
