At a regular City Council meeting on Monday, Oct. 23, Council held a public hearing for the amendment to the Bylaw on the Downtown Commercial Zone.
Residents were given the opportunity to speak at the meeting if they felt their interest in property would be affected by the recommendation.
The reason for the report stems from two separate requests from owners of properties to amend the Downtown Commercial Zone (C-1) Bylaw.
During the public hearing, despite the fact that Council chambers were filled with community members, no one spoke to the proposed zoning amendment. Council voted unanimously to adopt the new zoning Bylaw with no further discussion.
The request from Kenny Dodd of Over Time Brewery sought an amendment to allow for the designation of craft breweries in the C-1 zone, while the request from Randell Wyton revolved around the addition of multi-family residential use within the zone.
According to a report to Council, City staff saw this as an opportunity to fully amend the C-1 zoning to support more uses and provide better business opportunities, add or modify some definitions in order to provide greater clarity and reflect a more modern economy, explicitly protect existing single-family use to alleviate concerns with evolving insurance and mortgage practices and perform some general Bylaw housekeeping.
The report also states that the regulations for the C-1 zone are intended to accommodate a mix of commercial uses, with provisions for some residential uses, to foster unique and diverse development that contributes to improving the aesthetics, vibrancy and functionality of Kimberley’s commercial areas.