61 St. and 48 Ave. in Red Deer, one of the entrances into Riverside Light Industrial area. (Google Maps)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

new neighbours

More commercial now welcome in Riverside Light Industrial area

Jan 6, 2020 | 10:21 PM

Red Deer’s Riverside Light Industrial Park could soon be home to a wider selection of commercial businesses.

On Monday, city council held a public hearing, and then approved a new hybrid ‘IC’ zoning for the entire area, which was previously zoned I1 (business service).

This will allow, on a discretionary basis, the opening of: offices up to 10,000 square feet, indoor rec facilities, industrial/commercial training facilities, microbreweries, and supporting merchandise sales where the sales component is 30 per cent or less of the gross floor area.

Riverside Light Industrial is the oldest industrial park in the city, beginning operation in 1961. For a long period, the area has offered smaller than average building footprints, making it more difficult over time to attract industrial type clients. The rail line through the district departing about 20 years ago didn’t help things in terms of it maintaining its industrial character.

Through consultation, the City has found that a majority of property owners in Riverside Light favour increased flexibility, which will also reduce the number of site exceptions the City has to process.

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“We are in favour of the rezoning as long as it is fully encompassing the entire area,” said Mark Music, director of finances at Central Alberta Co-op, who spoke during the public hearing. “Right now, it’s so only 50 per cent (of our building) can be office space, so we can’t fully utilize the building. If that doesn’t change, we’ll need to look elsewhere.”

There are 25 people who work in those offices, a pleased Music confirmed after the hearing.

Dwayne Janzen, a property owner in Riverside Light since 1998, told council he has a potential tenant who’d like to operate a pre-K to grade five private school. Because that isn’t included in the original or new list of uses, Janzen will have to apply for a site exception.

After sharing his story, he suggested that the rezoning needs to go one step further, adding that council should opt to zone the area as C4.

“The way we have it laid out, everything is enclosed with security, there’s zero risk to the kids,” he stated. “You’re allowing private schools for training, you’re allowing recreation facilities for kids, so why would something like this not be allowed? I agree with the zoning change, but I don’t feel it’s going far enough.”

Kimberly Fils-Aimé, a senior planner with the City, says the aspect of children isn’t necessarily the issue with Janzen’s hopeful tenant.

“It’s just a matter of first of all maintaining some of the industrial characteristics of the area. We don’t want to be transitioning too, too much out of industrial at this time,” she says, noting that C4 was contemplated but not pursued in 2011.

“The lots and buildings are smaller, which led to a natural transition slightly leaning toward the commercial aspect of things. We believe with this change, it could spur some economic growth.”

Janzen said whether he pursues a site exception depends on the wishes of his prospective tenant.

The City will now reach out to all the property owners in Riverside Light Industrial to formulate a list of who wishes their land to be rezoned.