Vernon needs housing but car-centric strip mall gets city council support
It flies in the face of what the City of Vernon is trying to achieve but last week politicians at city hall voted to move forward with a large strip mall containing multiple drive-thrus, a gas station, a supermarket and more than 300 parking stalls.
The project is proposed for the corner of Highway 6 where 15 Street turns into Middleton Way on an 8.5-acre site. No details were given as to which stores are planned for the strip mall. It's estimated 12,000 vehicles pass the site every day.
"It’s well known that we are very short of housing, but I haven’t seen any report saying we’re short of gas stations, in fact, there is one right across the street," Vernon councillor Brian Guy said during last week's council meeting.
A sticking point in the project is the land isn't zoned for gas stations and drive-thru's, although it was when the developer applied for a development permit last December.
Since then – due to new provincial rules – the zoning has changed and now supports mixed-use development.
"This opportunity isn’t being pursued by the developer," a staffer said.
City staff told council that a mixed-use site would support the city's housing goals by including a residential component. Staff also pointed out the new Official Community Plan was moving away from supporting car-centric developments in a push for mixed-use developments that supported the city's active transportation and climate change goals.
The proposed development incorporates none of these aspects.
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Talking to neighbours slated to back onto the development, most seemed largely unaware of the project.
"We definitely need housing here, there's a shortage of it," one neighbour living on 15 Avenue told iNFOnews.ca. "The problem with housing here is that it's ridiculously priced, even if they put housing there... who can afford the housing."
The neighbour also questioned why the city needed another strip mall.
Some residents in the area said a strip mall would attract transient people and the petty crime that often followed.
"If it's housing it will be safer for the kids," one young mother said. "Residential makes it safer for the kids."
Another nearby resident said a development had been on the cards for so long she'd believe it when she saw it.
It's unclear whether it's the same developer or project, but a 2019 ad from the Form Real Estate Advisors pitches a site plan with a box store, drive-thru, car wash and more, scheduled to open in late 2020. An old sign still sits on the site.
At the council meeting city staff confirmed that the unnamed developer had approached them three years ago to discuss the project.
"When we moved in we expected it," Kevin Mace said.
Mace said he's lived on the corner of 15 Avenue for the last eight years. For a street so close to the highway its surprisingly quiet.
"I'm kind of torn, do you want houses, do you want commercial, do you want mixed?" Mace said before adding, "Mixed-use would be better."
One aspect Mace isn't happy about is a proposal to allow traffic to enter the site's parking lot from a cul-de-sac on 17 Street.
Currently, there's a semi-permanent hockey goal set up at the end of the quiet cul-de-sac and Mace said all the local kids play there.
Whether the developer does plan to punch through the cul-de-sac to enter the strip mall isn't clear. Drawings submitted to the city show an exit and entrance on 17 Street as well as one from 15 Street. There's no proposed access directly from the highway.
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Some residents were blunt in their response when asked about the development.
"I don't want it," Terri Elliott told iNFOnews.ca.
However, Elliott said she was resigned to the fact that something will be built on the site.
The rezoning application still has to go to a public hearing – slated for Oct. 7 – and be approved by council.
Coun. Guy tried to amend the proposal, to get rid of the gas station, but didn't find support in his fellow councillors.
While the city needs more housing, councillors were reluctant not to support the project.
"The applicant has been working with the city long before we were forced to amend our bylaws, I think it would be unfair of us to send them back to the drawing board because our bylaws have changed," councillor Kari Gares told the meeting. "This is exactly the sort of thing we’re talking about with developers is trying to create a level of confidence in the system."
Ultimately, Coun. Guy was the only member who didn't vote in favour of the project.
A public hearing will likely be scheduled for Oct. 7.
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