Zoning Bylaw Changes Will Allow Convenience Stores To Apply To Be Liquored

By Robert Thomas

If you ever wanted to pick up some beer, wine or stiffer drink at a Moose Jaw convenience store your wishes just drew one step closer.

Council approved Administration to prepare a zoning bylaw amendment requested by Rod Van Slyck owner of Viridian Developments on behalf of convenience store tenant Getty's Foods.

Getty's Foods, located at 2 Wood Lily Drive, would like to offer off sale alcohol without the present zoning requirement to operate a restaurant at the same time.

At present the property is zoned C1, residential commercial, and standalone liquor stores are not presently allowed in this type of zoning.

What Viridian Developments was asking Council to do is to allow standalone liquor stores in C1 areas on a discretionary or case by case basis.

In Administration's report to Council there was support for the initiative.

“The request is to remove the requirement for Licensed Facilities to be attached to a restaurant. This change would allow the applicant to apply for discretionary use to operate a retail liquor store at their C1 property,” the report read,

“This amendment aligns with the new land use trend of co-locating liquor stores with grocery and other convenient type uses. Administration supports this application and proposes making a similar change to the C1B District as well,” the report stated.

The Official Community Plan states neighbourhood commercial locations are intended to serve the daily needs of the residents in the neighbourhood. Convenience stores fall into this category.

Even with the change giving the green light to Viridian Developments is not final.

The developer would still have to apply for Discretionary Use Approval from Council. The Zoning Bylaw amendment would potentially allow all convenience stores operating in C1 Zones to apply for approval not just Getty's Foods.

DISCUSSION

Director of Planning Michelle Sanson said even though the proposed Zoning Bylaw Amendment fit into how liquor was presently being sold there would still be controls where liquor could be sold.

“In some instances it may work and in some areas it may not. That is why we are making it discretionary,” Sanson said.

Councillor Brian Swanson said his understanding was the Province regulated where liquor could be sold and some liquor licenses restaurants controlled were sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“We will soon have lots of applicants,” Councillor Swanson said. “I think it’s one lick of the lollipop setting it up for discretionary use.”

Sanson said the owners of the convenience store acquired a liquor license from a restaurant they owned and now closed and were hoping to transfer it to Getty's Foods.

Councillor Chris Warren said he had no concerns with the application.

“If they have access to a liquor license I don’t have any concerns with this,” Councillor Warren said.

Councillor Scott McMann agreed.

“I don’t have any issue with the recommendation the permit side is not our issue…it seems to be fairly prevalent to what it was years ago,” Councillor McMann said.

Council voted unanimously to allow Administration to proceed with the process of preparing the changes.

Public notices of the proposed Zoning Bylaw Amendments must be published in a local newspaper as well as the City's web-site for two consecutive weeks to allow for feedback before returning for final approval.