Kimberley’s controversial drive-thru ban was flame-broiled to a crisp as City Council defeated the bylaw in a close 3-2 vote.
The bylaw proposed banning all future drive-through businesses and gas stations in the community, such as fast-food restaurants and banks with drive-thru windows.
The ban was up for its first reading on Monday night’s meeting after multiple lengthy discussions leading up to the draft bylaw.
Mayor Don McCormick says blanket bans could have the unintended consequence of turning Kimberley into a drive-thru town for developers.
“Nobody is going to come to a community with a particular investment, whether it’s a drive-through or anything else, and look at our bylaws and say ‘oh, they ban that, but I’m going to put in an application anyway and put myself at the mercy of council.’ It just doesn’t work like that,” explained McCormick.
“Bans drive investment away from the community.”
McCormick says Kimberley needs to diversify its economy to reduce the ever-increasing tax burden on residential property owners.
“The focus we need to take in respect to the diversification of our tax base, which has been a goal council has set for at least four terms, needs to revolve around the realities of investment,” said McCormick.
“The commercial tax rate is 2.5 times higher than either the residential or light industry rate. The speed with which we can diversify and add to that tax base, commercial development is the way we’re going to get there the quickest.”
With the proposed bylaw defeated, Kimberley will asses each development on an individual basis, as it does with all proposals that come through council chambers.
“We don’t get to dictate what investment we get, so we need to be flexible and evaluate each of these proposals on their own merit,” said McCormick.
“There is nothing that says a drive-through has to be a fast-service restaurant, there are many other opportunities there. Flexibility is very important.”
The proposal for a drive-through and gas station ban bylaw stems from a 2023 rezoning proposal for a fast-food restaurant/service station that saw intense public backlash.
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