After sitting vacant for years, the site of Red Deer County’s former headquarters could soon be redeveloped.
An application has been made to the City of Red Deer for development of a 20-bay strip mall at 4758 32nd St. The matter was scheduled to go before the city’s municipal planning commission today.
The site was used by the county until 2003, when it relocated its offices to their current location west of the city. The building on the lot was demolished in 2005.
City council voted to rezone the property to allow a strip mall with health-related businesses, and in 2006 the commission approved the development of two commercial buildings there. Work on that project was never started.
The current proposal, submitted by Berry Architecture & Associates Ltd., calls for a 25,640-square-foot commercial building. Most of it would be a single storey, but five bays would be located on a second floor.
Situated on 2.136 acres, the strip mall would face 49th Avenue and be bordered to the south and north by 32nd and 33rd streets respectively. It would have 136 parking stalls, five more than required under the city’s land-use bylaw.
Feedback from nearby residents included requests that no bars, liquor stores or adult entertainment stores be allowed to operate on the site. None of these uses are permitted under the current zoning for the property.
Red Deer’s Inspections and Licensing Department is recommending to the commission that it approve the application.