Drive-thru bank approved for soon former Carnival Cinemas site

This July, council approved rezoning of the site from Capstone-Primary Residential zone to Capstone-Taylor Drive zone to accommodate a new development proposal, which included a possible financial institution with a drive-thru.

Since it’s located on Taylor Drive, administration anticipates internal Capstone pedestrian and vehicle traffic will have minimal impacts.

It’s important to note the amendment applies to this bank only. This means, for example, it couldn’t later be turned into fast food drive-thru. According to administration, the Capstone area was originally designed to be a walkable neighbourhood and that’s still the intent. This location in unique though in that the financial institution will be along Taylor Drive.

As first glance, Councillor Cindy Jeffries said she was hesitant to support a drive-thru in Capstone, but when she found out it was for a financial institution, she warmed up to considering it.

“It got me thinking a little bit about how financial institutions have changed in our community and how they’re offering banking services differently,” she said. “I look at drive-thrus in banks that have been established outside of the downtown core and there’s really no access for a drive-thru bank within the downtown or inner city.”

Councillor Vesna Higham said given the trends on how banks are operating with drive-thrus, and given the one-off nature, she thought it would be a positive for the area.

Bill Ramji, owner of Carnival Cinemas, said their development for this site is a significant investment in the Capstone area, a community he believes is poised for growth.

“We have designed this development with quality and community integration as our top priorities,” he said. “The drive-thru will be planned to ensure smooth traffic flow and complement the Capstone area’s esthetic vision. We are confident that this bylaw amendment is a positive and necessary step that will ensure the success of our business and contribute to the overall revitalization of the Capstone area.”

Speaking with rdnewsNOW, Ramji said they’re still weeks out from announcing which financial institution will go there.

However, resident Judy Brownlee, who lives near Carnival Cinemas, wasn’t as supportive of the amendment.

She regularly crosses Taylor Drive to get to Capstone for recreation and expressed concerns about the increased traffic the financial institution could cause.

“I have nearly been killed at the intersection and several of the people in my condo who also walk or ride scooters have experienced close calls there,” she said.

“I’m worried about increased traffic from people who maybe will choose to go through a drive-thru just because it’s there.”

She acknowledged there will be increased traffic because of more housing and businesses and she’s in support of that. She’s not opposed to development, but rather opposed to people entering Capstone simply to do banking.

Carnival Cinemas last posted this spring that it plans to be in its current location through the end of October, with other plans, as reported, to hopefully move to the former Welikoklad building downtown by end of the year.

by Ian Gustafson

Drive-thru bank approved for soon former Carnival Cinemas site

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