New businesses will have to be at least two storeys tall to have a place in parts of downtown Morinville, according to the town's new downtown plan, and some residents fear that could drive investors away.
Town council was unanimous last week in its approval of the Coeur de Morinville area structure plan and its associated land use bylaw amendments. The changes are meant to promote business investment and guide the development of Morinville's downtown core over the next 20 years.
The plan itself covers everything between 104 Avenue and the railroad tracks, the lots between 99 Street and Highway 2 and all of Highway 642 in town.
It's meant to promote walkable, pedestrian-friendly development, said planning and development director Greg Hofmann, and to fix the town's "blunt" process for infill development in residential zones.
The new process (the details of which will be worked out by administration) requires developers who wish to replace a single-family home in this region with something bigger (such as a duplex) to hold detailed talks with local residents about their plans prior to first reading, and to stick with those plans after approval.
"What that does is provide certainty to everybody," Hofmann said.
The Coeur plan requires all new businesses in the C1 district (which is from 104 Street to 99 Street along 100 Avenue) to be two-to-four storeys high. Commercial buildings outside of this zone may be lower. This is meant to create an enclosed, outdoor-room effect on Main Street to encourage pedestrian traffic, Hofmann said.
The plan also emphasizes mixed-use development in this region (ground-floor stores with second-storey homes) to encourage local shopping.
This would not affect any building that already exists, Hofmann emphasized, and such buildings could be renovated and expanded as their owners wished.
"It doesn't mean they have to add a second storey," he said.
The height requirement only kicks in if you completely demolish and replace a building or build on an empty lot, and only if you are within the C1 district.
Questions
Art Chalifoux was one of several residents to question this rule during a public hearing. There are thousands of one-storey businesses that could fit on Main Street that would be excluded by this policy, he said.
"I can't understand it."
Hofmann clarified that neither a one-storey building with a two-storey facade or a Canadian Tire-style place with a really high ceiling would meet this height requirement – the rules require two floors you can walk on.
"We're trying to make the best use of these properties over a 40- to 50-year timeframe," he said, and single-storey outlets aren't the best use.
Business owner Tom Hammond had a beef with that.
"I find it distasteful to have somebody tell me what to do with property I own," he said. "My money, my business."
Other residents worried that there would not be enough parking space to support taller buildings.
Businesses would have more room in the back for parking by going up instead of out, Hofmann said.
"There is the ability to make better use of the site by going higher."
The Highway 642 functional plan (which is incorporated into the Coeur) will also preserve on-street parking downtown.
But some lots will still be short on parking, Hofmann said. Council accepted his recommendation to do a downtown parking strategy before 2015 that could create a common parking lot for the downtown core.
When Coun. David Pattison asked if there was an actual demand for taller buildings downtown, Hofmann said such buildings were needed in order to achieve the Coeur's vision – a vision that was strongly supported by council, the business community and residents at recent open houses.
"There has been tremendous interest along this segment of 100 Avenue from people who want to take advantage of two storeys, if not go higher," he said. "It is a vision this plan is trying to create."
Tall, but not two-storey businesses such as Canadian Tire could locate outside this part of downtown.
While he sympathized with Hammond, Coun. Sheldon Fingler said Morinville needed to plan out its downtown if it wants it to grow.
"We can see how successful we've been without a plan … we're not successful yet."
These rules are no different from architectural controls in a residential zone, said Coun. Nicole Boutestein.
"Change isn't easy, but change is what we need to go forward," she said.
Details of the Coeur can be found at www.morinville.ca/coeur.
