Canadian Tire is moving ahead with its plans to move into space formerly occupied by Target.
At city council Aug. 17, city staff recommended the approval of an application and draft Highway Corridor Commercial Development Permit which would enable Canadian Tire to re-develop of the property.
Mayor Lee Pratt added that the application is for Canadian Tire to do renovations and remodelling to prepare to move its store from the current location to that building.
“It’s good to see Canadian Tire moving on with the Target location there and increasing the size of their building,” Pratt said. “We just have to find someone to fill their building now.”
The application came from PJ Mallen, on behalf of Pellex Holdings Ltd - Canadian Tire Real Estate Ltd.
City staff noted that Canadian Tire Real Estate Ltd has acquired the space and is proposing to retrofit the 9,312 square metre vacant retail space in preparation for relocating the Canadian Tire store. The proposed retrofit is to accommodate commercial uses, including: retail; service centre with 13 bays; warehouse space; office space and staff area.
An additional 869.5 square metres will be dedicated to a garden centre located in the existing front, north-west, parking area. The garden centre will be separate from the main building. It will likely be a enclosed area.
The proposed retrofit will include minor changes to the building’s exterior façade to be consistent with Canadian Tire branding and signage; relocation of 33 parking spaces to the rear of the complex to accommodate the proposed garden centre; and minor modification of the existing landscape plan, which will include the removal of three trees to accommodate a new oil storage enclosure located on the south-west aspect of the existing building.
The property is currently designated “Highway Corridor Commercial” in the city’s Official Community Plan and is within the “Highway Corridor Commercial Development Permit Area”. The lands are currently zoned “Shopping Center Zone: C-5” in the city’s Zoning Bylaw.