A proposed new drive-thru eatery in East Ladner finally received council approval this week.
First submitted three years ago, the development application at the southwest corner of Burns Drive and 96th Street includes a new A&W drive-thru and a three-storey self-storage facility with office use.
Located next to the Esso gas station and Tim Horton’s restaurant at the junction of Highway 99 and Ladner Trunk Road, the site at 9568 Burns Drive had previously been used as nursery, but is now vacant.
The application was put on hold following a public hearing in December 2019 after council requested further clarification on traffic impacts and current enforcement of on-street parking.
A report to council notes the engineering department had confirmed that illegally parked cars along Burns Drive posed a challenge in the area for the farming community.
As a result, signs changed from "no parking" to "no stopping".
The owner will also be required to provide a traffic management plan to the satisfaction of the planning department prior to any preloading or building permit.
The Agricultural Land Commission confirmed that the property, located within the Agricultural Land Reserve, was not subject to the regulations of the Agricultural Land Commission Act due to its size and tenure.
Metro Vancouver also notified the city that the application did not require a regional land use designation amendment.
Coun. Jeannie Kanakos was the only member of council to vote in opposition of final approval on Monday, saying she was opposed to the change in designation from agricultural. She also hoped to see something “more elegant and beautiful” at the location.
