By Ezra Black
On Jan. 23, council approved a motion to explore the possibility of expanding the Ghostrider Service Commercial development northward into the Brenners Road area.
According to a report from Bruce Lennox, director of Planning and Development, an expansion would increase the city’s supply of light industrial and service commercial land.
Council directed city staff to work collaboratively with the Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK), the province and property owners to initiate a boundary restructuring process.
An Employment Lands Brief dated February 2012 contained in Lennox’s report concluded that Fernie has a small amount of available industrial and serviced commercial land, particularly in comparison to Sparwood and Elkford.
The brief noted that of the roughly 26-hectares of viable land in the community, only approximately 2.7 hectares, or 10 per cent, is vacant.
Since the brief was completed in early 2012 five serviced commercial lots have been developed in the City of Fernie further eroding into the 2.7 hectares of vacant land inventory, said Lennox’s report.
These developments include Brecan, Mow and Snow, Backyard Mechanical, an industrial storage building and Snow Valley MiniStorage.