Harvest Healing Center may soon be moving

Times Reporter

 

The Harvest Healing Center may soon be relocating after council approved a land re-designation from Highway Commercial District to P1, Public Service District. 

The location of the site is at the corner of Highway 817 and the Canals Highway Commercial Area. Though the director of planning and development did not support the application, in the end council approved the re-designation.   

“With respect to the proposed use we did have some concerns with respect to the location. We are not against, obviously, the ability to have church sites in town, it’s just unfortunately this location probably is not the best from our technical analysis,” said Tammy Henry, Director of planning and development for the Town. 

The area the Harvest Healing Center was asking to be re-designated is zoned and set out in the MDP to be an industrial area. One of the first concerns for administration is the fact that the proposed land use amendment was not consistent with the Town Municipal Development Plan (MDP). Henry said though the MDP is a bit dated, it was created with the input of the citizens.  

Henry said it is a statutory plan and administration is bound by the plan, because it is a bylaw. She also mentioned that it would be cleaner to amend the MDP prior to the proposed re-designation. 

Another concern was increased traffic, and the possibility of needing to add traffic signals. Henry said there were no concerns about building a facility, but preferred it be located on a different site which may meet their needs better. 

“We are not looking to put millions of dollars into a building, a fancy building. A residential area would not allow us to put up a metal building that we are looking at, (it’s) not very likely because that’s not what they want sitting in a residential area,” said Pastor Elizabeth Karp, with the Harvest Healing Center.

She said public zoned land in a commercial area would allow them to put up a practical building, which fits the community standards for the area. 

“As far as the traffic light controlled intersection goes, at some point in time we have to do that, and maybe if we do it sooner than later it might help to develop that area a little quicker, if there’s proper access to and from that industrial area onto 817,” said Councillor John Rempel. 

Both Mayor Steve Grajczyk and Councillor Bob Sobol said they like the idea of having a church front and centre when people come into town. 

“It’s always nice to see a church when you’re driving into town, I always thought that,” said Grajczyk. 

The proposal was approved and given both second and third reading at the Jan. 18 council meeting.