The Crown Isle Shopping Centre is one step closer to adding three more buildings to its location at Ryan and Lerwick roads.
Courtenay council unanimously approved a development permit Monday for Phase Two of the project, after Barry Weih of Wensley Architecture presented to council.
"This new phase is 90 per cent pre-leased so basically we're going straight from this (development permit stage) into a building permit at the end of this month," Weih told council, noting the already-built section of the shopping centre is "doing very well."
Although a Thrifty Foods' media liaison could not provide any details on who the tenants will be, the McDonalds logo is featured in the renderings attached to the council agenda.
The area dedicated for Phase Two sits next to Ryan Road, north of the current Thrifty Foods grocery store, which anchors the development. The three buildings planned for this phase of the project add up to an additional 19,000 square feet of commercial space.
The building displaying the McDonalds logo in the renderings borders Ryan Road on the drawing and features 95 seats and a double lane drive-thru.
The automotive service station will feature three vehicle bays, according to the drawings. The largest building, at 11,700 square feet, would be a multi-purpose building, according to Weih.
Weih noted the designs for the buildings and surrounding landscaping carry on the West Coast feel already at the shopping centre.
Weih also said additional parking will be created in Phase Two and the stalls are designed to give more space, as some shoppers said parking areas have been tight in the existing shopping centre.
Special attention is being paid to sound attenuation. A variance allows the maximum fence height to be increased from two metres to four metres so higher sound attenuation fencing can be installed along the border between the commercial development and the adjacent residential area. As well, rooftop and loading bay sound attenuation measures will be implemented.
Five of the seven buildings in Phase Two of the project have been constructed and associated landscaping has been installed, according to a report from the City's development services department. Floor space for the seven Phase One buildings will total over 100,000 square feet when complete.
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