Loading articles...

Council to hold public hearing for Dunvegan Gardens

PHOTO. Supplied. Dunvegan Gardens.

More seats than usual were filled in council chamber Tuesday night as residents gathered to hear the future of Dunvegan Gardens.

It was a quick item on council’s agenda, as they voted unanimously to schedule a public hearing on May 8th.

In Sept. 2016 Dunvegan Gardens received a stop order from the municipality for seven infractions, mainly due to the zoning of their properties.

Currently, their two lots are zoned as Small Holdings District, limiting what can be done and sold on them.

Brad Frieson, owner of Dunvegan Gardens, said that if council doesn’t agree to re-zone the properties after the public hearing, he’ll be forced to close the doors.

“In a month’s time from now, if they vote it all down, the doors on the front deck will close. The greenhouse might be open, but the giftware and Christmas Winter Wonderland, a bunch of those types of things will be all finished.”

He added that he hopes to see a bigger crowd this year compared to last year at their stop order appeal.

Frieson said he’s also meeting with the Subdivision and Development Appeal Board (SDAB) on April 19th to discuss the rules for the animals on the property and his two Quonset greenhouses.

After an appeal of the Sept. 2016 stop order, the SDAB revoked three of the seven items and varied another three. Unauthorized Sale of goods was varied to allow one year to get a permit for the General Retail Store, Unauthorized Park was varied to allow three months for a permit and Unauthorized Farm Animals was varied to allow animals licensed by the municipality. The final violation was for an electrical panel, which has since been removed.

Anyone wanting to participate in the public hearing on May 8th can call 780-743-7001.