City council has allowed a Regina property developer to turn a building in downtown Moose Jaw into a condominium development as long as the developer meets certain requirements.
During its Feb. 28 regular meeting, council voted unanimously to have the mayor and city clerk complete and execute the condo plan for 331 Main Street North if developer Midwest Surveys Inc. acquires a building permit to address fire-wall separations and incurs all costs with the application.
The proposed three-unit condo project is in the Hughes Building, sandwiched between Uptown Café and The Tax Team.
The developer applied for approval of its condo plan so it could sell individual units within the commercial building, while registration of units allows the developer to split the titles to the commercial units, Michelle Sanson, director of planning and development, said during the meeting. This process allows the owners to rent or sell the individual units.
Condominium plans are considered subdivisions under The Condominium Property Act, 1993, while under The Planning and Development Act, 2007, all plans for registrations must be submitted to an approving authority, she continued. The municipality is the designated approving authority within its corporate limits.
After reviewing the application, city administration makes a recommendation to council and council gives final approval.
This particular property is zoned as C2 high-density commercial and meets all requirements under the zoning bylaw, Sanson said. Her department had few concerns after reviewing the proposal, and checked the application to ensure there were no zoning issues and that the units complied with provincial legislation.
Sanson added that it’s not common to find condo units above businesses in downtown Moose Jaw.
“I think this would be a really good idea and a good way for the building owner to handle the costs of the building,” said Coun. Crystal Froese.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, March 14.
