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Council considers rezoning

Former Jackson site: Commercial designation sought.
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“To me this is an important piece of heritage and an important building within the community in Salmon Arm.”

City council is supporting the proposed rezoning for the JL Jackson property that will make two school-district owned lots commercial properties.

The application includes the Downtown Activity Centre (DAC) site.

Last week, council gave first and second readings to applications for an official community plan amendment, and related zoning changes for two lots on the JL Jackson site: Lot 4, a 1.73-hectare area on sites north end and Lot 2, the 0.4-hectare portion where the DAC is located.

A public hearing is the next stage for the proposed changes being sought by School District #83.

The OCP amendment involves striking language that binds development to the “Old JL Jackson School Site Development Guidelines,” driven and developed by the community following a failed development application by Loblaws in 2006. The rezoning applications are to change both lots from P3 Institutional to C2 Town Centre Commercial Zone.

A staff memo states the C2 zoning “matches many of the current uses on the subject properties and also would facilitate opportunities for future commercial and other forms of development.” It also notes the DAC building, the site of the former Salmon Arm Elementary, was added to the city’s heritage registry in 2012.

At a prior development and planning meeting, both Couns. Chad Eliason and Denise Reimer were apprehensive about rezoning lot 2. With Reimer absent from the council meeting, only Eliason spoke against the change, stressing the importance of the site to the community and suggesting public input might be prudent.

“To me this is an important piece of heritage and an important building within the community in Salmon Arm,” said Eliason. “Before anything happens to it, I think the community would also like to have some input on it.”

However, school district treasurer Sterling Olson argued the lots are already designated “City Centre” in the OCP and this designation supports the proposed C2 zoning.

“In the OCP, it sets the vision for the land use,” said Olson. “This is clearly intended to be city centre commercial. All we’re asking is fine, zone it so it’s basically consistent with the vision you’ve already set.”

Couns. Debbie Cannon and Marg Kentel argued in favour of the rezoning, with Kentel stating that when it comes to developing Lot 2, whoever is serving on council at that time will “certainly hear about it.”

“And while there might not be the teeth in it that there is if you didn’t include it (in the rezoning) now, the school district is a citizen along with the rest of us and I’d like to think that they will listen,” said Kentel.

Regarding Lot 4, Olson said the school district will be looking to “dispose of that” some time in the next four years.

As employees of the school district, Couns. Alan Harrison and Ken Jamieson excused themselves from the debate due to conflict of interest.

Despite his concerns, Eliason voted  with council in support of both applications moving to public hearing.

 



Lachlan Labere

About the Author: Lachlan Labere

Editor of the Salmon Arm Observer, Shuswap Market, and Eagle Valley News. I'm always looking for new and exciting ways to keep our readers informed and engaged.
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