Two projects slated for Riverview, as well as a potential medical marijuana project for the former Maple Leaf Foods plant, cleared a major hurdle Monday at council.
A discretionary use application to build an eight-unit apartment house at the former Vida McDonald Centre location on 103rd Street was passed unanimously by North Battleford city council.
That approval clears the way for construction to move forward on that project, which could take eight to 10 months. City officials said the developer intends to begin work immediately.
The intention is to repurpose the existing building into eight separate apartment units, with outdoor access to each unit and two parking stalls each.
Approval was also given to the zoning amendment bylaw for the former armoury location at 102nd Street. That bylaw amended the location from R2- Low Density Residential District to C2- Neighbourhood Commercial District, and also amended the wording to include the word “tavern” for discretionary use.
The location is being considered for a micro-brewery project that would include an upscale tavern-restaurant area. With passage of the zoning bylaw Monday night, the next step is for proponents to make a discretionary use application under the bylaw for the project to go ahead. That would need to be voted on later by council.
Approval was also given to the zoning amendment bylaw to allow medical marijuana as a discretionary use in the M2 industrial zone. That bylaw covers the Parsons Industrial Park area.
Second and third reading carried unanimously. Once again, proponents of the medical marijuana facility will still need to come back to City Hall and make a discretionary use application for that project, to be voted on by council.
While plenty of work is still ahead, the decision by council Monday night is a major step forward for all three projects, which have sparked considerable interest in the City since they were announced earlier this year.
As it turned out, while the proposal to convert the old Maple Leaf Foods plant on Canola Avenue into a medical marijuana facility did prompt some raised eyebrows at first, there was no opposition to the zoning amendment. Council was generally supportive of the economic impact it would bring to the area.
This is likely not going to be the last time marijuana will be an issue before council. Mayor Ryan Bater pointed to the news earlier that day that the federal government was going to introduce legislation this spring to legalize marijuana by July 2018.
He expects there will be impact for municipal governments when it came to zoning, not just for production but also retail.
“It’s our hope that there’s a consultation with municipalities so we are prepared for this dramatic shift,” said Bater.
The two Riverview projects proved to be far more contentious. Several residents appeared before council at the previous meeting on March 13 to oppose the “tavern” zoning amendment, citing concerns that could lead to safety and parking issues in the neighbourhood. There was also written concerns submitted about safety and parking issues with the apartment proposal.
Following that meeting an open house event was held March 21 at the Don Ross Centre at which time proponents of the two projects were in attendance.
A full report of the meeting was presented to council Monday night and it appeared the meeting was successful in allaying many of the concerns of people in the area.
“We did find that a lot of people needed more information,” said Jennifer Niesink, director of Planning and Development for the city. She noted the maps showing parking at the locations seemed to ease concerns.
Also, RCMP were in attendance to speak to safety issues.
One of the main issues raised previously about the microbrewery proposal was what might happen if the business ever closed up shop or changed hands.
Worry had was expressed previously that the word “tavern” in the zoning might open the door to a potential “shady bar” setting up at that 102nd Street location in the future, with the City unable to stop it.
Councillor Don Buglas raised the issue and the planning department explained in more detail how they intend to address that situation. City planner Ryan Mackrell explained the microbrewery-distillery could be approved as a “primary use,” while the bar-restaurant portion could be an accessory “ancillary use.”
“The microbrewery couldn’t discontinue and just operate as a tavern,” said Mackrell. “It would have to come forward for a new application at that point.”
Bater noted in that case, if the microbrewery discontinued and a new owner wanted to open up an all-night dance bar, “they wouldn’t be able to do that.” Mackrell nodded in agreement.
City Manager Jim Puffalt reiterated administration’s recommendation that the projects ultimately be approved.
“Large buildings are difficult to redevelop and there may not be that many opportunities,” said Puffalt.
He was particularly enthused about the potential to repurpose the old armoury building into a microbrewery. He noted that proposal was similar to what happened in Saskatoon when the old McGavin’s building was repurposed into Earl’s.
“That facility has been transformed into what it is now, so there’s that same opportunity.”
