A hotly debated bylaw allowing the developers of Mackenzie Village to change the square footage of its subunits in a few of its buildings was passed by Revelstoke council with a pair of changes in the text of the bylaw.
The bylaw amendment pertains to a request on behalf of the developers of Mackenzie Village (MV) to allow for the expansion of its commercial subunits. The issue garnered some attention over the course of its public hearing process, which took place between Oct. 10 and Nov. 14. At the meeting on Tuesday, council voted to approve the zoning amendment, but not before adding some additional text amendments.
The developers want to expand commercial space from 200 square meters to 450 m2 on the ground floor of the Mackenzie Village units fronting Nichol Road.
The city received nearly 90 emails on the issue with 84 of those in support of allowing the expansion.
Some residents said they would support the bylaw amendment if the developer increased parking allowances, while others wanted retail space excluded, and only restaurants, daycares, or other walkable services allowed.
At a 1.5-hour public hearing on Tuesday (Nov. 14) several residents expressed concern that the change would open the door for bigger retailers to get a foothold in Revelstoke, marking the beginning of a shift of the economic hub of the city from downtown towards the resort.
To partially address those concerns, council added a limit to the number and type of businesses that could qualify for the expanded space.
The bylaw amendment allows four businesses to increase from 200 to 450 m2 and that neighbourhood retail services (eg: convenience store) and licensee retail (eg: liquor store) businesses be limited to the initial 200 m2, except for a grocery store.
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