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(file photo/paNOW Staff)
On the move

Daycare approved for discretionary use at new site

Jul 24, 2020 | 5:33 PM

A local daycare facility is looking to move to a new location.

Currently operating at 1312 – 99 St. in the basement of St. Paul’s Anglican Church, the facility hopes to relocate to 9301 – 19 Ave. in North Battleford.

City council approved a resolution for a discretionary land use application for the daycare to operate at the new location.

The daycare is considering leasing or purchasing the building at the new location from the owner Light of Christ Catholic School Division which currently uses the site for its offices.

The daycare’s board president Brandon Whitt said in his letter to council the new location would be ideal.

“It has its own parking lot and [is] next to plenty of green space our kids would love to use,” he said.

The zoning for the property is currently residential. Mayor Ryan Bater said while the site is currently used as an office administration building, this use was permitted under the grandfather clause in legislation.

“That office [use] was grandfathered in; that is why it is there,” he said. “A daycare is a separate use in an office building. So within that zone of the city, daycares are only permissible as a discretionary use, which means you need council’s discretion.”

The city did not receive any objections to the proposal.

The mayor said council believes the location for the daycare would be appropriate for the neighbourhood. That is why the discretionary land use application was approved unanimously.

“The correspondence received and the recommendation from administration indicated that the building itself is adjacent to green spaces, and of course has adequate parking,” he said. “It is also near a school which means it will be within the envelope of a school zone.”

Bater said as a result there will be slower traffic in the area, which will also be suitable for the daycare.

“I think it fits in a lot of ways, which is why it was supported by council,” he said.

angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW

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