YORKTON - A downtown Yorkton business finally received final approvals that could see the firm undertake a major expansion of its Broadway Street location.
At its regular meeting Monday Yorkton Council approved issuance of a development permit for in-house packaging being a light industrial use as defined in City of Yorkton Zoning Bylaw for TA Foods.
A discretionary use application for a proposed warehouse building addition at 72 Broadway Street West was also approved, but with a caveat that the permit was subject to a mutually agreeable drainage solution.
In making the presentation Monday Michael Eger – Director of Planning, Building & Development with the city noted TA Foods has multiple locations in the city, including a processing and packaging plant on Myrtle Avenue, a warehouse on South Front Street and the subject property on Broadway Street West which is currently being used as office space and warehouse for local agricultural food ingredient processing and packaging.
In terms of zoning Eger said “The primary intent of the CMI-1 zoning district is to encourage commercial-oriented uses and secondarily to promote rehabilitation of existing light industrial structures and uses. Successful integration of industrial uses into commercial areas requires that industrial development, at minimum, meet commercial standards.”
The property is currently zoned C-1 City Centre Commercial and Warehouse Facilities are Discretionary Uses in this district.
A presentation to Council from seven residential neighbours of the property noted they have issues with flooding and feared the expansion would make the issue worse.
The issue is one TA Foods is aware of, offered Mike Popowich with the company.
“There’s a lot of room for improvement in that area,” he told Council, adding the drainage pipes in the area are under-sized or in disrepair.
“What we need to do to make it better, we will,” he said.
Eger said in terms of what would be required to mitigate drainage concerns is unknown at present, adding they are just in the process of studying the situation more closely. He added that process is important to ensure whatever in undertaken is both sufficient to deal with the water, and yet not something overdone so that it costs too much.
Mayor Mitch Hippsley said he is confident a solution can be found.
“I do believe we will figure this out together,” he said, adding it can be a win-win for all involved.
