An Ontario businessman has lost a bid to start up a satellite installation business in the old Pentecostal church, a site that is surrounded by traditional residential development.
An administration report brought forward to town council's regular meeting on June 13 recommended council defeat an application by the businessman to amend the Land Use Bylaw to allow offices and warehousing at the church site, located at 4136 – 49 Ave. The site is now zoned as a Residential Medium District.
Council unanimously agreed, and Robert Lefebvre, who is from Sudbury, Ont., will now have to find another use for the church, as well as a different area of town to set up a satellite installation business.
“It's perfect, a good spot, a small community and it has everything I need,” said Lefebvre of Innisfail's potential to start a new business. Lefebvre added he might advocate to the owner of the property to use the church for low rent housing or for a group home.
Lefebvre's application for the business proposed 12 to 16 office staff, which would be hired locally, as well as five technicians that would be on-site every three months for training. Council was told through a report by administration that deliveries and shipping pickup would occur four to six times a week with 18- to 28-foot trucks.
There would not be publicly accessible office or retail space in the building and a six-foot fence with a gate would be built to screen commercial uses and any additional noise from the residential area, council was told.
“We would be keeping a very quiet front. We would never park on the roads. People would never see us,” Lefebvre told council.
However, Andrew Cohrs, the town's development officer, noted in his report there was one public concern over the potential increase of noise, traffic and parking, and one other on the impact on street parking availability.
“The impact of this increased activity and noise does not meet the intent of the (zoning), will have a negative impact on the neighbourhood and is not in the public interest,” said Cohrs in his report.
Several councillors stated they also had concerns. Coun. Patt Churchill said while she did not want to “stifle” economic development in the town, there were better places for it.
Coun. Doug Bos said he was concerned with the proposed fence at the property, which he said would make the residential area look industrial.
Following council's agreement with administration not to move forward with the rezoning application, Mayor Brian Spiller agreed it was not an easy decision to say no to a business plan that would create jobs during the current provincewide economic downturn. However, the mayor added the business proposal was not a right fit for the neighbourhood.
“We are always looking at economic development and economic enlargement for our community, but at the same time we have to be cognizant of our residential areas versus our industrial and commercial areas,” said Spiller. “We are not objecting to the business as much as the location. We had nothing against the business. It was just the location.”
Robert Lefebvre, Ontario businessman
"We would be keeping a very quiet front. We would never park on the roads. People would never see us."
