City of Powell River Council will consider issuance of a three-year temporary use permit for Salish Sea Distillery on the Beach Gardens property.
At the February 18 committee of the whole meeting, director of planning services Jason Gow said he was presenting an application for a craft liquor distillery with accessory bottling use at 3225 Cariboo Avenue. He said the applicant and owner of the subject property is Seaboard Hotels, which also owns and operates the nearby Beach Gardens Resort.
Gow said the current occupant of the building named in the permit is Salish Sea Distillery, which produces a range of craft gins and vodkas. He said the provincial liquor distribution branch classifies distilleries into craft or commercial operations. To achieve the craft designation, a BC distillery must distill and complete fermentation on site, using 100 per cent BC agricultural inputs in its products, and produce no more than 50,000 litres of finished product per year.
Gow said the distillery has operated out of its current location since 2021 following its relocation to Powell River from the Kootenays. A three-year temporary use permit for this location was previously approved by city council and issued on August 9, 2021.
“That temporary use permit has now expired,” said Gow. “While temporary use permits can be renewed for a maximum of one additional three-year additional term, lapsed permits cannot be renewed. Therefore, to bring the property into conformance with the city’s zoning bylaw, a new temporary use permit application has been submitted by the applicant.”
Gow said in terms of considering the impacts of this new application, council and staff have the benefit of being able to consider the operation and any impacts the distillery has had on the surrounding neighbourhood during the previous three years. He said the application was referred to various city departments for feedback and no concerns were noted.
In considering the issuance of a permit, the city zoning bylaw outlines that council will use conditions it deems reasonable, said Gow. The use has to be compatible with surrounding land uses in terms of use, design and operation, he added. That the ability to conduct the temporary use elsewhere in the city is limited is another consideration, according to Gow.
Gow said the applicant has indicated in the letter of intent that the current location of the distillery is a temporary home and there are plans for a permanent, purpose-built space to house the operations upon completion of the master planning process for the Beach Gardens.
“The applicant has committed significant time and money to finding a permanent solution for the distillery,” said Gow.
He added that staff was asking council to provide notice of council’s intention to consider the issuance of a permit for the distillery with three conditions.
Councillor Earl Almeida asked that since the original permit had expired, was the distillery making and bottling spirits without a permit? Gow said it seems there was a period of time where the city and the applicant were unaware of the expiry.
The committee unanimously voted to direct staff to provide notice of council’s intention to allow the craft liquor distillery with accessory bottling use at the site.
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