Rona Inc. was given the go-ahead to build a new home improvement centre on the south side by Red Deer’s municipal planning commission on Wednesday.
The 44,000-square-foot store to be built as part of new commercial centre called Southpointe Junction being developed north of 19th Street and west of Taylor Drive would be triple the size of the existing store at 2610 Gaetz Ave.
Randy Cockrill, who handles Western Canada real estate development for Rona, said the $10-million to $12-million store will be a big improvement over its current outlet.
“That store doesn’t represent who we want to be in the market,” said Cockrill.
“Our focus is really on what we call mid-sized or the proximity store, which is what this would be.”
The new store will feature a much bigger selection and shopper-friendly layout. Besides the retail store, a 2,160-square-foot kiosk will be located within an 10,940-square-foot fenced permanent garden centre. The site will also feature a 16,400-square-foot covered storage area and parking for 259 vehicles.
Rona also owns Totem Building Supplies at 7730 Gaetz Ave.
Landscaping for the new store drew questions from some commission members.
Councillor Paul Harris said the south end of the city has become home to a large number of “beige box stores” and pressed Rona representatives to upgrade landscaping, especially in the parking lot. While trees have been provided around the edges of the parking lot, there is little landscaping in the interior for pedestrians or to provide shade in the summer, he said.
Cockrill said Rona would take a look at its plans to see if an additional landscaped pedestrian “spine” leading to the main entrance could be added in the parking lot.
Harris also had some qualms about a proposed 3.6-metre-high fence that would be screened with plastic to simulate a hedge around a storage area on the north side of the store, which faces east towards Taylor Drive.
“I’m really concerned it is going to be one of the ugliest things we’ve seen when it gets old,” he said.
Cockrill assured Harris that the fence will not be unsightly. The company has spent a lot of money building its brand across the country and at individual stores, he added.
“We’re not going to let a little bit of fencing take away from that.”
Also approved for the Taylor Drive and 19th Street corner was a Shell service station with four pump islands, 2,270-square-foot convenience store and a car wash. The development would be located just east of the Rona store, next to Taylor Drive.
pcowley@www.reddeeradvocate.com