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A view of the rectory on 12th Avenue. (Google Maps)
Council chambers

Church group hopes to re-build garage for rectory in new location

Jun 28, 2023 | 5:00 PM

North Battleford city council is looking at a request that a new garage for Notre Dame rectory be built beside it, on the east side.

The old garage, which was attached to the back of the building, burned down in a fire in November 2022.

The rectory is at the corner of 12 Avenue and 105 Street in North Battleford, beside Notre Dame Church to the west and Notre Dame School to the north.

The former garage had to be accessed through the neighbouring Notre Dame School parking lot, off 105 Street.

In his letter to city council, Notre Dame Parish Council chairperson Glen Gantefoer said the parish council don’t want to reconstruct an attached garage again, on the original site because “it can only be accessed via the neighbour’s parking lot.”

When Notre Dame Church and Rectory were built in the mid-1920s they were constructed to face onto 12th Avenue.

“For aesthetic reasons, we would like to build the garage and driveway facing onto 12th Avenue,” Gantefoer added.

The former attached garage was built onto the rectory several years after the rectory was constructed and had a very low slope shed roof.

Gantefoer noted the old garage also didn’t match the rectory in architectural design.

The hope is to build a new detached garage, with matching roof lines and accented with the same brick as the rectory and church.

The 12th Avenue approach to the garage will avoid the traffic congestion caused by the school busses twice per day on 105 Street. As well, there will be a 15-foot separation between the detached garage and the rectory.

Gantefoer added if any future fires were to occur at the new proposed location for the new garage, they will not impact the rectory building.

The plan is to build the new garage in the rectory’s current front garden space, to the right of the rectory, facing 12 Avenue, closer to 105th Street.

James Johansen, City Director of Engineering, Planning, Asset Management and Infrastructure, said city administration reviewed the application and found it met the city’s zoning bylaw requirements, with one exception.

“Detached accessory buildings are not to be located in any front yard,” he said.

“We’ve reviewed this with the bylaw,” Johansen added. “It doesn’t matter how we try to stipulate things, this is in the front yard of the property.”

As a result, the city couldn’t approve the development permit application request.

Administration instead proposed that council consider an amendment to the bylaw so that the garage building could be built in the front yard.

As well, Johansen noted the accessory building architecture must be consistent with the primary building design features.

“We’d like to approve it [as is], but [can’t],” Johansen said.

Council authorized administration to instead bring forward an amendment to the zoning bylaw regarding discretionary accessory buildings in front yards.

Johansen will also come back with more information about timelines for the project. He added a public hearing will also be needed looking at potentially passing the amended bylaw.

Council voted in favour of administration’s recommendation.

Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow

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