Kimberley city council has voted against hearing an application for Official Community Plan and zoning amendments that would have supported a proposed multi-use commercial development.
Had council approved the application, the amendments would still have required further council review.
The application was for undeveloped parcels on 304th Street and 315th Avenue. The amendments would have allowed for a multi-use commercial development plan involving multiple restaurants including drive-through and take-out services, a gas station and a car wash.
A similar proposal in 2023 caused quite the stir in the community, before it was eventually rejected.
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Councillor Sue Cairns said it’s the type of development that the community has made clear they don’t want.
“This is a perfect example of why strong city policy and regulation is needed upfront to provide certainty and clarity and direction to developers and investors both existing and new so we attract the right kind of development that align with our vision and priorities set out in our community plan,” she said.
“It’s extremely frustrating to continue to be faced with these proposals that do not align.”
Mayor Don McCormick was in favour of hearing the application and said Kimberley is losing business to Cranbrook.
“Where are they getting these services? Cranbrook is where they’re getting these services,” he said.
“Traffic to Cranbrook is a huge financial alternative that bleeds money from Kimberley. There are 7,000 trips a day that go between here and Cranbrook and that’s a combination of commercial, visitor and resident traffic.”
He said retaining business means expanding local offerings.
“It’s important to note that people spend money where they are, especially visitors. We want to keep them here,” he added.
“We don’t want them to go to Cranbrook for retail unless it’s absolutely necessary for them to do that.”
Councillors Cairns, Kevin Dunnebacke, Diana Fox and Woody Maguire voted against the application, while Mayor McCormick and councillors Sandra Roberts and Jason McBain voted in favour.
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