DIDSBURY - After a decade of uncertainty, construction will soon start at Shantz Crossing on a regional grocery story called Shantz Village Market, the first structure to be built on the site at the north end of town, say officials.
On Sept. 4 Didsbury Municipal Planning Commission approving authority approved a land use application for the Buy-Low Foods 26,084-square-foot grocery store plus customer parking at Highway 582 and 23rd Street.
The MPC also reduced the required size of the buffer between the store and adjacent properties from the 10 metres called for in the development bylaw, down to 4.9 metres.
The application has been reviewed by other Town of Didsbury authorities including the fire department. The approval is subject to several routine conditions that will need to be fulfilled as the project goes ahead.
“The only story bigger than this decision would be backhoes working on the property,” said Bill MacLean, president of Shantz Village Land Corporation.
The Buy-Low store will carry on the AG Foods business, and will need 20 to 25 more employees to accommodate expansion of the present store’s trade, say officials.
Didsbury mayor Rhonda Hunter said she was very pleased with the MPC approval because it is the start of development of the land, initially acquired by the Town of Didsbury in 2012 for development as a business or industrial park.
“This MPC decision will build momentum for the development of Shantz,” Hunter said. “No one wanted to be first, and we’ve crossed that hurdle.”
The planning commission wrestled with reducing the setback after planning officers said that to make an exception to what is essentially a new bylaw and for the first structure on empty land in Shantz Crossing could invite more requests for exceptions.
However, Scott Builders, who applied for the setback reduction, noted there have been no other purchases of land, and there are no other development applications yet to build in Shantz, so no one else is being hurt.
If the variance was not granted, a new round of negotiations with Buy-Low Foods would ensue and there would be no assurance that Buy-Low would not bow out of the deal, said Brad Quintillo of Scott Builders.
The other issue that concerned the commission was approvals from Alberta Transportation needed because it operates Highway 582.
Some citizens have questioned the safety of pedestrian shoppers, especially seniors, crossing the highway to shop at the new store. A similar access problem exists on 582 at Valarosa.
There are no issues with the roadside business application made to Alberta Transportation being processed, Quintillo said.
In due course, Alberta Transportation will have to approve an application for a routine application on behalf of the whole Shantz Village project.
