Plans for a pet crematorium on 10th Avenue NE near South Canoe have been nixed.
Although the proposal fit the city’s zoning requirements, the approximate 10-hectare (25-acre) property at 5491 10th Ave. NE is in the Agricultural Land Reserve. A pet crematorium is considered a non-farm use so must be approved by the Agricultural Land Commission. Before a request goes to the ALC, however, the city must authorize forwarding it.
The request was heard at the city’s March 20 planning meeting as well as at the March 27 council meeting.
At the March 27 meeting, a decision on whether to send the application to the ALC was deferred by council in order to gather more information. Present at the meeting were the owners as well as neighbours.
Mayor Alan Harrison noted he had asked the owners, Lennie and Jay Thurgood, at the city’s March 20 planning meeting, to ensure they had talked to neighbours about their plans.
He said that had apparently not happened, so council voted to defer the motion for four weeks to give the applicants time to talk with the neighbours – so council members would have more information for their decision.
However, instead of proceeding with the process, at council’s April 24 meeting Harrison reported the applicants had withdrawn their ALC application and their business licence application to the city.
Coun. Debbie Cannon spoke on council’s motion to withdraw the deferred motion.
“I just support this and I think we were seeing a lot of information on this before this came to us that the applicants were withdrawing, so I totally support this.”
Harrison remarked: “To those who did submit letters and comments, we will certainly keep those in our file here at the city. Thank you to all those who took the time to do that, and also to the applicants who considered the information that was provided.”
The applicants had not replied to a request from the Observer for more information before the article was published.
The withdrawal motion passed unanimously.
Coun. Kevin Flynn did not vote. He had excused himself from discussions and voting on the application due to a potential or perceived conflict of interest because the applicants were business clients.
Read more: Decision deferred on Salmon Arm pet crematorium so proponents will talk to neighbours
Read more: ‘Long overdue’: Salmon Arm council approves lease for Blackburn Park concession
martha.wickett@saobserver.net
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