LOCAL NEWS: RCMP SAVE THREE KIDS ▼ A7
Times
Thursday, April 24, 2014 ▼ Volume 50 No. 17 ▼ www.clearwatertimes.com ▼ $1.35 Includes GST
THE
NORTH THOMPSON
Second Place Best All Round Newspaper Third Place Best Editorial Page All of Canada <1,250 circulation 2013
SWIM TIME:
Rotary Richard finally goes in. See page A20 inside.
Second Place General Excellence B.C. and Yukon <2,000 circulation 2013
Searching for Easter eggs Melia Hooge proudly holds two of the eggs she found during an Easter egg hunt held on Saturday at the Soles residence in Clearwater. The Vancouver resident was visiting relatives. The hunt has been an annual event for about 24 years, first for the family, then for the neighbourhood kids, and more recently for the community. This year over 900 eggs were hidden. Photo by Keith McNeill
Buy-Low gets development permit for project Times Staff Clearwater town council issued a development permit on April 15 for Buy-Low Foods’ proposed shopping centre next to the roundabout on Highway 5. The permit essentially means that the proposal meets the conditions outlined in the official community plan (OCP), including the natural look called for in the OCP. Buy-Low still needs to get a building permit for the project, but in the meantime can begin preparing the ground. Equipment, including
an excavator and a semitrailer, have been moved onto the site in apparent preparation for beginning work this week. “This is an historic event for Clearwater,” commented Mayor John Harwood, noting that this is the first development permit to be issued by the municipality since it was formed over five years ago. The new shopping
center will serve both the residents of Clearwater and area, plus tourists and others travelling on the highway, he said. The applicant proposes to develop a 4,300 sq. meter (46,000 sq. ft.) shopping center, reported Alexander Krause, a planner with Thompson-Nicola Regional District (the municipality contracts with the TNRD for its plan-
ning and building permit services). The development permit would be for the construction of two buildings – the first phase of the project. It would also include 280 parking spots – including several oversized ones for trucks and RVs. There will be a separate application for signage, Krause said, as the developer is not yet sure what the tenants will want. Clearwater does not yet have a designated sign bylaw, but the appearance of the signage would need to comply with the OCP. Construction of a pro-
posed third building would also require a separate development permit application. The proposed shopping centre would be located in the Wells Gray Gateway development permit area, which is one of three such areas outlined in the OCP. Water and sewer already extend to the edge of the property. The developer will upgrade Murtle Crescent and construct a sidewalk/alternative traffic route. The proposal includes two access driveways from Murtle Crescent and no direct access to Highway 5.
OVER 1000 SPECIALS EVERY WEEK
SAFETY MART FOODS
LOCATED AT BROOKFIELD SHOPPING CENTRE • CLEARWATER, BC • 250-674-2213
The land is zoned Retail Commercial but is designated as Suburban Residential in the OCP. Krause explained that the designation is intended as a vision for future land use if commercial development does not proceed as permitted by zoning. The OCP designation does not preclude commercial use. The intent of the Wells Gray Gateway development permit area in the OCP includes having a service center that reflects the outdoor adventure and alpine environments. Continued on page A10
BRUNSWICK SARDINES 106g Tins
10/$10.00