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Wednesday, February 5 • 2014
Vol. 6 • Issue 63
Fundraiser collects $16,000 Page 9
Leafs increase lead on first place Page 20
Zoning bylaw passes
Drive-thrus taken out
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Fire fighters battled a house blaze in Crescent Valley on Friday afternoon. Photo Courtesy Monica Spencer/Beasley Fire Department
Man injured as Crescent Valley house burns
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Home fully engulfed The cause of a fire late Friday afternoon in Crescent Valley that destroyed a home and injured its owner remains unknown. The fire in a two-storey older house on Konkin Road broke out around 4:30 p.m., according to Crescent Valley fire chief Glenn Leidloff. The building was “pretty much starting to get fully engulfed” when crews arrived, he said. Firefighters from Tarrys, Beasley, and Passmore also helped out and remained on scene until 11 p.m. A fire watch remained until Saturday morning. The homeowner and lone occupant, whom Leidloff guessed was in his 40s, was taken to Trail hospital suffering from possible burns and smoke
inhalation and has reportedly since been transferred to Vancouver. Leidloff said the house remains partly standing but is not salvageable. Investigators haven’t been able to determine how the fire started. No other buildings were in danger, as the closest neighbours were a fair distance away, however the road was closed while firefighters tackled the blaze. “We really do appreciate the neighbours’ patience with us having to block the road,” Leidloff said. “One lady in a walker had to wait a while for us to clear the scene. Neighbours gave us soup and bread, which was very kind of them.” Leidloff didn’t know if the home had a working smoke alarm. More fires on Page 3
Nelson council removed drive-thru restaurants as a permitted land use within the city, before finally adopting its new zoning bylaw at Monday’s council meeting. The 110-page planning document brings changes to every city lot, as it dictates the allowable style and size of new developments. The old bylaw, which has now been replaced in its entirety, allowed drive-thrus in a number of zones throughout the city. But when drafting the new rules, city staff limited them to the “highway commercial” zone — essentially just five or six properties along Nelson Avenue. At a public hearing last month, numerous residents opposed the idea of allowing any new drive-thrus and wanted all mention of them struck from the bylaw. Councillors agreed and had them removed as a final amendment before approving the bylaw. “Having more drive-thrus in our community isn’t necessarily in sync with our sustainability goals and attempts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in our community,” councillor Donna Macdonald said, adding they might also take customers away from local independent businesses. “When we have people driving into Nelson, we want them to actually come into town and eat at our many fine restaurants — so having drive-thrus in that stretch [of Nelson Avenue] isn’t necessarily a good benefit for our business community.” Councillor Deb Kozak noted that an average of 1,110 vehicles pass City Hall each hour on the highway, even with zero drive-thrus along the main road. “In my view, it’s not good to restrict opportunities,” she said, though ultimately she went along with the unanimous decision of council. The new bylaw doesn’t impact existing land use. The city’s lone drive-thru restaurant — an A&W in Railtown — isn’t threatened by the decision. As well, new drive-up restaurants — similar to the Dairy Queen on Nelson Avenue — would still be permitted as long as patrons aren’t served from in vehicles. If somebody did want to open a drive-thru in Nelson, they could seek a bylaw amendment, which would require public consultation and approval from city council.
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