Council gives green light for convenience store on South Hill

Despite the concerns of at least one resident, city council has given the green light for the construction of a corner convenience store in the southwest corner of South Hill. During the April 26 regular meeting, council gave three unanimous readings to a zoning bylaw amendment that would rezone the west-most 821 square metres (8,837 square feet) of 1050 Bradley Street to C1 neighbourhood commercial district from R2 medium-density residential district.

NewRock Developments (Sask.) Inc. is the registered owner of 1050 Bradley Street and wants to subdivide and rezone that portion of the property to develop a 238-square-metre (2,561-square-foot) convenience store on the corner of Bradley Street and 11th Avenue.

The property is part of the Currie Heights and Grandview neighbourhoods.

Concerns about project

Area resident Brent Bazin spoke to council by video and opposed the project because he thought neighbouring properties would see a drop in real estate value and because there could be an increase in vehicle and foot traffic.

He pointed out that 11th Avenue is in poor shape and has drainage problems on the west side. Furthermore, there is only one sidewalk on that street, which many children use to travel to school. He thought city hall should attempt to use technology to count vehicles in that area before making changes.

“There are already dangerous vehicle speeds witnessed on 11th Avenue, and without any controls at that intersection, there is serious concerns that this will be added traffic safety issues for those children,” Bazin said. Another concern Bazin had was that, based on “human nature,” more people would likely park on Bradley Street or 11th Avenue instead of in the parking lot behind the building. This could create problems based on where the alley is and the lot’s exit. Furthermore, traffic from nearby residences would also create high traffic. “Having witnessed a young child get hit on Warner Street a few years ago, there is no need for traffic coming from a commercial site … ,” he said.

“I am unsure if these arguments will sway council to deny the proposed change in rezoning. But I feel that putting in place certain guarantees to satisfy the concerns of the residents would be prudent and go a long way to appeasing the surrounding neighbourhood and having added safety.”

Rebuttal of concerns

NewRock’s Derrick Muth — also speaking by video — attempted to assuage Bazin’s concerns by saying the company is invested in the community and has been since 2013. It has committed to designing a building that blends in well with the neighbourhood — especially since it is constructing homes adjacent to the store — and addresses existing needs.

“We have been approached by a number of community members for information. Many are very supportive,” he continued. “We are open to feedback and discussion. We want to work through any concerns the community has.” Muth doubted that the store would increase vehicle traffic since he expected there to be more foot traffic. Meanwhile, there are seven parking stalls, but signs can direct customers to park in the lot if there are worries about street parking.

The land in that area comprises various zoning districts but is designed to have a higher density of people than now, he added. A traffic study was also conducted in 2012 before that land was serviced and allowed for higher traffic volume per day.