City of Powell River councillors have granted a temporary use permit for a property on Duncan Street to allow for commercial recreation and entertainment use.
At the April 4 city council meeting, councillor Earl Almeida said the facility is at 7339 Duncan Street, just down the road from the airport, on the corner of Duncan Street and Bowness Avenue. Almeida said he believes the facility has been vacant for the last couple of years and there is a businessperson in town who wants to turn the space into a sports, recreation and training facility.
“It will be great to see the building get some use and provide sports training and some recreation and entertainment for our community as well,” said Almeida.
Councillor Trina Isakson asked if the planning department had received any public input in relation to public notice on the matter. Deputy corporate office Jessica Lefort said no correspondence or other input had been received.
Council passed the motion for a temporary use permit unanimously.
According to a staff report, the subject property is a two-storey building with approximately 5,000 square feet of interior gross floor space. It is designated in the sustainable official community plan as employment centre and is zoned M1 (general industrial).
The report stated that the applicant has been conducting a search for an appropriate space to lease for many months leading up to the submission of the temporary use permit application to the city. The range of proposed activities include specialized baseball and softball training areas, as well as space large enough to rent out to local sports and recreation groups, including hosting birthday parties, according to the report.
Commercial uses of this nature are not permitted in the M1 zone, so the applicant was advised to obtain a temporary use permit from city council in order for the business to operate at the Duncan Street location.
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