Victoria council has postponed consideration of a mega-liquor store in Blanshard Square following a spirited public hearing on Thursday.
In a move that has riled private liquor store operators, the Liquor Distribution Branch has applied to move its 669-square-metre store into the former Jordan’s Furniture location, 2680 Blanshard St., where it would operate a 1,281-square-metre store.
The new location, within the same mall at Blanshard and Hillside Avenue, would offer 765 square metres of retail space, 256 square metres of warehouse and 260 square metres of office space on a mezzanine.
If approved, the new liquor outlet would be the largest retail liquor store in the city — and far above the 200-square-metre size limit for new liquor stores spelled out in city policies.
More than 25 people, including the applicant, made presentations to council. Sixteen were opposed, 10 for and two neutral. Some said they looked forward to the better parking and wider selection the new location would provide. Others talked of the inequitable application of city guidelines that are supposed to limit the floor space of new liquor stores.
“There’s something wrong with this proposal in that there’s different rules for the independents not being able to have a liquor store that is this large,” said Brian Henry, owner of Ocean River Sports.
Henry said the proposal was well done, but “I don’t know if it’s what is good for Victoria. I am a big believer in shopping local and supporting your independents,” he said.
Moving an existing liquor store to a new location within a mall shouldn’t be a big deal, said Bruce Carter, executive director of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce.
“I think the challenge becomes one of, the framework says 200 square metres. You already approved one that’s 785 square metres at Hillside and this is another step above [the size limit]. Where does it stop? … Will 2,000 or 3,000 square metres work when the next proponent brings it forward? I’m not sure,” Carter said.
“I think the decision-making framework is horribly inadequate and that bylaw needs to be revisited.”
Following the hearing Thursday, council decided it wanted to receive more information from staff regarding changes to provincial policies governing liquor sales and city policies regarding liquor retail size.
“The province is coming down with new policy regulations and we’re going to have to — at least through that lens — take a look at our regulations,” Coun. Chris Coleman said.
The city’s policy was developed at a time when the province had signalled it was getting out of retail liquor sales in favour of private retail outlets.
“We were concerned about a plethora of liquor stores coming in, so we brought in regulations saying all new ones, which by implication meant private-sector ones, would be no more than 200 square metres. The old [larger] ones would then become legal non-conforming.
“But that landscape has changed again and provincial policy is now doing other things which is forcing us to react,” Coleman said.
