A request from a business in Saanichton to amend their development permit was turned down with a tied vote during the Planning and Development committee meeting on May 13.
Vic Clive, who purchased the old Moose Hall building at the corner of East Saanich Road and Wallace Drive and plans to relocate his business The Old Attic there, had requested that council amend the development permit to allow him to go ahead without building an accessible ramp to the building.
Months ago, council had allowed a variance in the building permit for the ramp to be built close to the property line but Clive and the architects are now encountering higher costs associated with the ramp and were seeking to be permitted to not include it.
“In the interest of being as supportive as we can to small business, I would go ahead with allowing them not to build the ramp,” said Councillor Carl Jensen.
Mayor Alastair Bryson countered Jensen’s comment by suggesting that renovations like the ones being made to the old hall in order to bring it up to code should be done to the highest and most useful standards.
Councillor Zeb King excused himself from the proceedings because of a conflict of interest and the motion to exclude the ramp from the development permit was defeated by a tied vote of 3-3.