A public hearing is set to take place for a proposed new liquor store beside Quality Foods in Port Alberni.
The owners of the Quality Foods property (Kelland Food Holdings Ltd.) want to construct an addition to the building that will act as a liquor store. Manager of planning Katelyn McDougall brought forward their application during a meeting of Port Alberni city council on Monday, Feb. 8.
The owners are also proposing to make some “surface improvements” to the parking lot.
Because of the property’s close proximity to Eighth Avenue Learning Centre, the city reached out to School District 70 (SD70) for comment. School district officials stated that they had no concerns. McDougall noted that the nearest existing liquor store is more than 1.35 kilometres away from the property.
“In this case, the addition of a liquor store really complements the existing grocery store and will provide a type of retail service to the surrounding neighbourhood that does not currently exist in that area of the community,” said McDougall.
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If the project is approved, the existing restaurant patio at Quality Foods will have to be relocated to the corner of the lot (at the 10th Avenue and China Creek Road intersection) to make space for the addition.
Under COVID-19 restrictions in B.C. the city is not required to hold a public hearing for the application, but council agreed on Monday that they would like to hear from the public.
Council scheduled the public hearing for Tuesday, March 9 at 6 p.m. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the public hearing must take place virtually. Anyone wishing to participate must pre-register with city clerks by calling 250-720-2823 or 250-720-2822.
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