The owners of a building on High Street West want to subdivide the property so they can sell one unit and keep the other for small business, service and retail.
BGTW Holdings Ltd. submitted an application to city hall requesting that 0.29 hectares (0.07 acres) at 111 High Street West be subdivided so the west commercial unit can be sold. The property contains a one-storey building with two units — including AM Massage — so the subdivision of the building along the dividing wall would facilitate the sale.
During city council’s Jan. 27 regular meeting, council voted unanimously to approve the request to subdivide the property, subject to several conditions. Those conditions include ensuring that the dividing wall be constructed as a firewall in accordance with the National Building Code, while a development and building permit would be required to complete the work; that separate service connections be installed for each property; and that all work be completed prior to the issuance of a certificate of approval.
Once the above conditions are met, the mayor and city clerk would be authorized to issue the certificate in agreement with The Planning and Development Act, 2007, while the applicant would bear all the costs of the application.
The property is zoned C2 high-density commercial district and is occupied by a personal service establishment and retail store, a report from city administration explained. The land use is not expected to change once the subdivision happens.
Separate properties are not permitted to share service connections under the municipal sewer and water bylaw, the report continued, while separate connections must be installed to each of the properties. It is recommended that the certificate of approval be withheld until the separate connections are installed.
Personal service establishments and retail stores are exempt from providing on-site parking in the C2 district. A small parking area exists at the property’s rear for both units. If, the report noted, the intention is for this area to be shared parking, city administration recommended that an agreement be obtained between the owners of the two units.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, Feb. 10.
