Big-box store plea in Kanata

Ignore city staff advice: Wilkinson

The planning committee should ignore the advice of city staff in order to clear the way for a new big-box development in Kanata, says Coun. Marianne Wilkinson.

Taggart Realty Management wants a zoning bylaw amendment for 375 Didsbury Rd. and part of 345 Didsbury Rd., to up the total gross leasable floor area for a nonresidential use from 1,000 square metres to 3,600 square metres to accommodate two commercial tenants, The Brick and Laz-Z-Boy.

Planners have advised the committee to reject the application because it’s inconsistent with both the official plan and the Kanata West concept plan. Both plans support large-scale employmentgenerating uses on this site, and complementary uses intended to serve the employees, but nothing of a size or scale that would draw clientele from beyond the local area.

“The scale and type of retail uses being proposed are not small-scale, ancillary or incidental to employment-generating uses,” says a staff report.

Wilkinson wants the committee to ignore that recommendation so Taggart can put up a multi-building, multi-tenant commercial development on the site that would include a drive-thru restaurant and a bank on individual pads and a large, three-unit building across the parking lot, where the two furniture stores would be located.

The size is what’s at issue, not the proposed use, which is permitted under the current mixed-use centre zoning, the Kanata North councillor said. “The only change that’s going to happen is that these two stores will be allowed to go over the size,” Wilkinson said.

She added that Taggart has found a member of the planning committee to move a motion for a zoning exception.

According to the staff report, the applicant previously requested that these lands be redesignated during last year’s Official Plan review.

The request was refused and the applicant has filed an appeal with the Ontario Municipal Board.