An effort to spur development in Campbell Business Park North took another step forward Tuesday as business owners and landowners gathered to discuss potential new uses proposed for the area.
Campbell North developer Paul Wong of PJSJ Holdings has been seeking to broaden the range of businesses that are allowed in the area because he feels the current designation is too restrictive, thus preventing businesses from moving in.
Located in an area northeast of Servus Credit Union Place, the land is currently zoned as business park. The original vision was for the area to be a high-end park with a technology focus. Under that banner, land sales have been stagnant for years so Wong is seeking to create a new land use district called Business Park-2.
His proposal calls for the addition of the following as permitted uses:
• artist studio;
• general service (dry cleaner, hair salon etc.);
• household repair service;
• mini-storage;
• specialty store;
• transmitting station (for the rebroadcast of radio or television signals);
• veterinary clinic;
• video outlet; and
• warehouse store.
PJSJ is also seeking to add several discretionary uses: animal service, catering service, chemical processing (excluding tank farms), daycare, drinking establishment up to 50 seats, drive-through business, equipment rental, fleet service, funeral home, general retail store, greenhouse and plant nursery, grocery store, hotel, liquor store, outdoor recreation centre, pool hall, religious assembly, restaurant and theatre.
“We’re not saying that these will happen or they should happen,” said planning consultant David Klippenstein. “What we’re trying to do is create a wider list and let the marketplace decide what goes in there.”
Murray Brown, a Kingswood resident and president of Canterra Properties, which developed Kingswood, questioned the inclusion of video store, pool hall and hotel.
“Some of these uses are certainly not acceptable to me as a resident of St. Albert,” Brown said. “It’s a marginal location for those types of commercial uses, so you’re not going to get first-class operators to locate here.”
Klippenstein replied that the new district would keep the strict building design requirements that already exist within the business park designation. This would keep out marginal operators, he said, but this was cold comfort to Brown.
“Some of the buildings and architecture that’s been allowed in here is pretty second-class stuff,” Brown said.
PJSJ is also looking to alter a clause that restricts warehouse space to no more than 50 per cent of a building’s gross floor area. The developer wants the minimum dropped to 10 per cent to make the area work for true warehouse operations.
For Glenn Veenendaal, owner of Blackstone Mechanical, the key to increasing the uses without ruining the area is to be strict with the architectural controls and let the market decide what businesses can make it under those conditions.
“Really ramp up the controls — hours of operation, things like that — and the market will take care of itself,” he said.
Mayor Nolan Crouse wondered about some of the uses being proposed, commenting that mini-storage seemed to be an “odd duck.”
In a later interview, he said he’s OK with expanding the list of uses but there are a few in the proposal that make him uncomfortable. He agreed with Veenendaal’s assessment that the focus doesn’t have to be on uses.
“To some degree, what’s inside of the four walls is less important than the look because people take exception to poor quality construction,” Crouse said.
Last November, city council approved medical services as a permitted use in areas zoned as business park but voted against allowing daycares and religious assemblies.
Myron Borys of Synergy Projects noted that the pending completion of Anthony Henday Drive allows an industrial business to be located anywhere around Edmonton and that the uses being proposed for Campbell North are less permissive than the typical industrial business zone in its southern neighbour.
Having the land in Campbell North sit empty doesn’t benefit St. Albert residents, so broadening the scope is a step in the right direction, he said.
“I don’t think it’s going to suddenly tear down value for the other owners in the area,” Borys said. “It’s not going to create a rush of development but it is going to open up a broader opportunity for development and speed it up.”
Heather Landals of Best Kept Secrets Photography wouldn’t like to see bars or dog kennels, but does think the park is too restrictive.
“I know that there are a lot of businesses that would be a perfect fit for the park that cannot get a permit because they don’t fall into one of the categories,” she said.
Wong said he has pending offers on three of his lots. While these deals aren’t contingent on changes to the land uses, he said he needs help to sell his remaining 10 lots.
“We do have to make some changes to be competitive,” he said. “We’re not competitive right now.”
The next step for PJSJ is to compile the input received Tuesday evening in preparation for a proposal that could reach city council by mid-December, Klippenstein said.
