Southside Tim Hortons to be made safer
Terrace city council has voted in variance permits that will provide the Keith Ave./Hwy16 Tim Hortons with a new access road that will cut over to Evergreen St. adjacent to what will be a Great Canadian Oil Change outlet and car wash opening soon.
The oil change owner, Keith Ave Holdings, will be designing their business in consultation with the Tim Hortons owner TDL Group Ltd. in the hopes of easing congestion at the Keith Ave./Hwy16 and South Kalum intersection where the Tim Hortons franchise is located.
“The developer is working collaboratively with the TDL Group Ltd. (Tim Hortons) to enable enhancements for access and site circulation within these two properties,” says information presented to council last night.
In April, the traffic congestion at the corner of Keith Ave. and South Kalum St. and the resultant crack down by RCMP on chaotic driving there made national news.
This was in part because of the intake at the Tim Hortons backing up traffic and further stressing an intersection logging the highest accident rate in town.
In addition to the new access is more parking and a double lane drive-through capable of processing two in-vehicle coffee orders at a time.
Councillor Lynne Christiansen called the new concept chaotic-sounding, but overall council seemed satisfied that the double service drive-through and new access will enhance safety at the intersection.
Council denies big sign variance
Last night city council gave an initial turn-down to a company that wants a variance permit to install a billboard-like sign on its property but are giving the owner a chance to better explain what the sign will actually look like.
UCANCO Construction owns a vacant and currently unremediated brownfield site at the corner of the Sande Overpass and Keith Ave. where there is an abandoned building that was once part of a fuel services location.
A third party, Seko Construction, wants a sign there of 11.9 square metres, larger than the maximum 7.4 as regulated in the city sign bylaw.
James Cordeiro was the only councillor speaking in favour of allowing a significant size variance saying that such signs already exist on the outskirts of Terrace. Councillor Stacey Tyers fired back that in fact such a long sign would be unprecedented within the city.
Council voted to request that staff get more information about the sign before actually making the decision.
Councillor Brian Downie said that the problem is not with the sign but with the size of the sign.
Permissive Tax Exemptions adopted
The city’s permissive tax exemptions, granted generally but not always to local non-profit organizations are included in the 2015 budget which was voted into law last night along with the city’s tax bylaw. The following is a list of those who received an exception and how much that exemption is worth:
The Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses, $745; Trustees of Kingdom Hall, $744; Zion Baptist Church, $1,106; Terrace Evangelical Free Church $1,150 ; Terrace & District Council for Social Resources, $758; Skeena Gursikh Society, $736; Pentecostal Assemblies, $545; Christian Reformed Church, $654; Terrace Calvin Christian School, $4,378; Terrace Gospel Hall, $537; Knox United Church, $802; Pentecostal Assemblies $1,445; Roman Catholic Episcopal Corp., $2,819; Roman Catholic Episcopal Corp., $769; Salvation Army, $638; Anglican Synod Diocese $1,040; George Little House $1,513; Skeena Valley Guru Nanak Soc. $750; Christian and Missionary Alliance $668; Uplands Baptist Church $602; Skeena Valley Baptist Church $177; Seventh-Day Adventist Church, $927; Fisherman’s Park, $270; Terrace Kitimat Airport Society, $1,136; Terrace Kitimat Airport Society, $198,855; Terrace Kitimat Airport Society $1,329; Terrace Curling Association, $11,089; Womens’ Aux to Hospital, $2,081; Terrace Elks $1,148; Terrace Child Development Centre $7,542; Terrace Child Development Centre $4,793; K’San House Society $12,315; K’San House Society $8,631; TEDA (Lease) $1,893; Seventh Day Adventists (All Nations Centre) $999; Terrace Beautification Society (Lease), $225; Terrace Little Theatre Society, 4,672; Governing Council of the Salvation Army 4,206; My Recreational Mountain Co-op, 1,572; Terrace & District Community Serv $1,190; Terrace & District Community Serv $1,569; Terrace & District Community Serv $1,350; Terrace & District Community Serv $1, 328; Terrace & District Community Serv $1,082.
