Tim Hortons has decided to double down on the south end of Gaetz Avenue.
David Carter, director of real estate planning with TDL Group Corp. — the licensing company for Tim Hortons franchises — confirmed by email on Friday that a Tim’s will be developed in Bower Plaza.
That 2325 Gaetz Ave. site is only a stone’s throw from an existing Tim Hortons at 5111 22nd St.
The future of the proposed restaurant was uncertain after Red Deer’s municipal planning commission voted by a narrow margin on April 23 that a 150-metre-long sidewalk or asphalt trail be developed along the west side of Bower Plaza as a condition of its approval.
A representative for Tim Hortons had argued that the costly walkway was an excessive requirement, since it was not needed to serve the proposed restaurant and had not been asked for when previous, more substantive changes were made to Bower Plaza.
City administration said the walkway was needed to connect to a planned extension of Red Deer’s trail system to the south. Staff said the change in both the use and the intensity of use of the premises — which were previously occupied by Polar Jewellers — allowed for the imposition of conditions to bring the property up to current development standards.
The developer was given the choice of pouring either a 1.5-metre sidewalk or a three-metre asphalt trail, with the city to share in the cost if the latter option was selected.
Carter said at the time that his company would have to assess the cost of the additional work before deciding whether to proceed.
But on Friday, he said a building permit would be sought in the next week, and if it’s obtained work on the restaurant would begin as soon as possible.
The original application for the restaurant indicated that it would have seating for 50 people and offer walk-in service only.
hrichards@www.reddeeradvocate.com