The county of St. Paul council has approved the first reading of a bylaw to rezone a parcel of land near Elk Point from Agriculture to Industrial/Commercial.
The property in question is at the intersection of Highway 41 and Highway 646, near the Town of Elk Point. The owner of the lot is seeking to expand an existing retail store and gas station situated on the property. According to Gary Buchanan, the County’s Director of Planning and Development, the land and its surrounding properties were zoned as Urban Expansion (UX) back in 2013-14, which allowed for commercial and industrial uses. However, when the county amended its Land Use Bylaw in 2013, the UX designation was removed, and the land reverted to agricultural zoning. This change made the retail store and gas station non-conforming uses under the current bylaw.
“Which means… if you want to do anything, such as expand your business… you can’t because you’re non-conforming. So, you need to rezone it to an IC District, which is the current district that would apply,’ explained Buchanan.
The agenda notes that expanding the retail store and gas station would benefit not only the property owner but also the local community and the County of St. Paul. The motion to give the first reading to Bylaw 2024-09, made by councilor Kevin Wirsta, was carried unanimously.
The decision was made during the regular Public Works meeting on April 28, with a public hearing scheduled for June 25 at the next Public Works meeting.
