A Town of Gibsons committee of the whole has rejected a rezoning proposal for unit 219 at 287 Gower Point Road (the Quay building) to allow for the continued use by Christ the King Community Church.
May 20, town council members voted against the application that would allow the church to operate in perpetuity.
A staff report said the unit has been used by the church since 2007 for public assembly for worship services as well as church administrative offices, and has approximately 200 attendees.
The Quay building holds 17 commercial spaces and five residential spaces, with a parking lot intended for visitors.
The church has operated on various temporary zoning amendments and temporary use permits throughout the years, the last of which expired in 2019.
Since then, the church has continued to operate but is not permitted in zoning. The staff report explains that the application is requesting to permanently allow the church to operate at this location through a zoning amendment.
Staff suggested adding a site-specific use for a “Place of Worship” to the Downtown Commercial 5 (C-5) zone for unit 219. This would have legitimized the currently nonconforming use that has been in place through temporary provisions since 2007.
Council emphasized that the C5 downtown commercial zone should remain focused on its intended purpose of supporting “a bustling center of small-scale, local and tourism-based commercial activity,” as the report described. They also noted a lack of essential services in the area that could benefit the growing population.
"This is a space that we need for commercial because commercial not only brings taxes, but also brings revenue to the town overall," said Coun. Annemarie De Andrade.
Parking has also been a concern in the area. Recent changes have escalated this as the property owner now locks the shared parking lot at 6 p.m. every day, which the council members pointed out has negatively impacted neighbouring businesses and their customers.
Additionally, council members raised concerns that permanently rezoning the property would remove flexibility for future harbour development.
Coun. Stafford Lumley supported extending the permit but was cautious about rezoning the entire property.
Gibsons Mayor Silas White agreed with the need to look at the long-term impact on the harbour's economic viability.
Council members unanimously voted to reject the rezoning application.
However, council members noted they had no objection to the church's continued presence, but felt the commercial designation should be preserved for the community's economic future.
The final decision for the rezoning application will be made at an upcoming council meeting.
Jordan Copp is the Coast Reporter’s civic and Indigenous affairs reporter. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
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