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Public hearings held for highway commercial rezoning
Kimberley City Council Report
By Nowell Berg
On June 26, City of Kimberley council held its regular bi-monthly meeting.
Councillors Sue Cairns, Kevin Dunnebacke, Woody Maguire, Jason McBain, Sandra Roberts and Steven Royer were present along with Mayor Don McCormick.
An archive of the meeting can be found on the City of Kimberley YouTube channel. Watch it here.
Public Hearings – Marysville Re-zoning
The city and council held two special public hearings regarding proposed OCP and zoning changes that would allow a highway commercial development on the self-storage site in Marysville.
The in-person hearing took place at McKim School on June 27. An online hearing was held the day after (28 June).
Attendance at McKim School was approximately 50 persons. On the stage were the Mayor, six councillors, chief administrative officer Scott Sommerville, communications officer Maryse Leroux and Manager Planning, Troy Pollock.
The owner of the self-storage, Lee Dowd, proposes to build a highway commercial retail centre that includes a McDonald’s restaurant with drive-thru service, car wash, service station, and general retail uses.
Since the introduction of these proposed OCP and zoning amendments in February, numerous email correspondence and petitions have been submitted from residents and businesses.
At the McKim public hearing, Bruce Wilson told council he was not in favour of the changes in the OCP and re-zoning. For Wilson, the issue is not the specifics of the proposal, but it’s about “the city’s ambitions and how it sees itself. We’re a mountain town. We have a certain way of living outdoors. People are attracted to this town because of the way life is lived here, the opportunities. There’s a certain ethos here.”
Other presenters echoed the same sentiment.
Speaking in support of the proposed changes, Cal Harvey raised the unsightly entrance to Kimberley (from Cranbrook). What tourists see, Harvey said, “garbage scows full of scrap metal, flatbed trailers, an empty warehouse and dilapidated moving and storage facility.”
He argued for the need to make the highway entrance more presentable, and to create more commercial land. “If you are pro-business, you support all business not just your buddies.”
He added it was not council’s job “to approve or disapprove individual businesses.” For Harvey, it’s up to consumers to decide which businesses they want to support.
Other arguments against re-zoning industrial, which is in short supply, include possible health hazards of more gasoline and residuals going into the environment and the negative health impacts of fast-food as well as the proximity of the site to the school and daycare.
Dowd said, “I’m excited to invest in this city. It’s a great city.”
He also pointed to the need to improve the entrance along the highway. He claimed, “It’s a valuable corner, it’s highly visible corner and I think it’s an opportunity to do something better with this.”
He claims his proposal will generate “over 80 jobs.” He concluded saying he consulted with all of the adjacent neighbours, and “100%” of them support the land use change.
The electronic public hearing held the next day had numerous presenters.
Summing up the majority of comments, Laura Dixon said, “I stand with the overwhelming majority of people in this community who have spoken out to say ‘no’ to the proposed re-zoning in Marysville.” Drawing on her urban design degree and experience, she said, “vehicle focused development is strongly discouraged.”
Summing up, she said the development is “not compatible” with the OCP and the lifestyle of Kimberley.
Council will now take time to digest the public input and make a decision at an upcoming regular Council meeting.
View the public hearings.
June 27
and June 28
Learn more about OCP Bylaw No. 2732 and Zoning Bylaw No. 2733 – 1006 304th Street and 361 315th Avenue.
COVID-19 Safe Restart Grant Allocations
Council allocated a portion of funds left-over from the city’s COVID-19 restart grant. Currently, the city has $420,000 remaining and allotted $100,000 for distribution to local entities.
The city received eight applications from Kimberley non-profits. A total of $72,200 has been distributed.
Those receiving one-time grant funds are:
Kimberley and District Chamber of Commerce: $10,000;
Helping Hands Food Bank: $10,000;
Healthy Kimberley Food Recovery Depot: $10,000;
Kimberley Healthcare Auxiliary: $10,000;
Kimberley Gymnastics Club: $10,000;
Kimberley Seahorse Swim Club: $5,000;
Spark Youth Centre: $10,000;
Wildsight Kimberley Cranbrook: $7,200.
Kimberley city council meets twice monthly starting at 7 p.m. The next regular council meeting: July 24. Only one meeting in July and August.
e-KNOW file photos
e-KNOW
