By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

Development permit approved for supervised consumption services

Dec 10, 2018 | 11:24 PM

A development permit chock full of conditions, including a seven-year sunset clause, has been approved for a new supervised consumption services (SCS) site in Red Deer.

City council voted unanimously to approve the permit Monday night, two weeks after they approved approve crucial zoning changes needed for Turning Point to operate SCS and the rest of its services at 5233 – 54 Avenue in Red Deer’s Railyards area.

The permit includes a seven-year sunset clause proposed by Mayor Tara Veer, meaning it will expire in 2025 at which point it will have to come before council for renewal.

“I feel like we’re moving in the right direction,” said Stacey Carmichael, Executive Director at Turning Point. “We’ll have to step back and see what they’re requiring of us and if it’s even possible, or if it’s a good use of resources to invest in something that’s only temporarily approved.”

“I think council’s desire is to, hopefully, get this right the first time. I didn’t support the zoning because of my concerns around the adjacencies of services that affect kids and youth,” Veer said. “Initially (tonight), I had some reluctance around the revised parking, revised landscaping and that there’s a revised lighting plan coming forward, but I certainly respect the relationship that Turning Point and The City will have in terms of navigating through those together.”

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Other conditions which Turning Point and Alberta Health, the primary funder of the facility, must meet revolve around CPTED, or Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design.

They include, but are not limited to, a revised parking layout with eight stalls, an outdoor storage area which is lockable and cannot be seen from the street, the installation of a sidewalk, landscaping, the installment of an amenity area, limits on signage, and enhanced security.

Also in the list of conditions is a fence which must be opaque and go around virtually the entire property. The fencing around the property will range in height from six to eight feet tall.

Additionally, city council must still approve a business license for Turning Point to operate SCS. It received first and second readings Monday with third reading scheduled for January.

Business license conditions would require Turning Point to ensure clean-up of garbage and needle debris within a 150-metre radius of the site, have a liaison to work with The City and the public over concerns that may or may not arise, and a digital camera surveillance system at the site.

Carmichael says they hope to have SCS up and running within six months, if all goes well.

The death toll from accidental opioid-related overdoses in Red Deer this year is around 50.