City council has voted down a proposed cardlock that would clash with its vision for Railtown.
Rocky Mountain Energy had asked permission to build a cardlock at 45 Government Road, the site of a former cardlock run by Esso. The site has already undergone remediation, but city staff recommended against the proposal because it runs counter to the Railtown development plan completed in December.
Mayor Deb Kozak said the decision doesn’t rule out a cardlock being built near Nelson.
“It’s not that council doesn’t support the need for a cardlock,” she said. “It’s that this time within the city limits and at that location, it wasn’t seen as the most desirable spot.”
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The application included a list of 164 names of people who supported the cardlock. Council acknowledged that, and Kozak said staff will speak with Regional District of Central Kootenay directors in an effort to find a different location.
“There might be an opportunity for the proponent to contact the regional district,” she said. “I could see that there would be places near the highway perhaps or where these big trucks can pull in and out reasonably and use the system.”
The site of the proposed cardlock fits into an area designated for industrial use in the plan for Railtown, but would have required rezoning to allow construction in a MU4 Waterfront Mixed Use - Industrial and Commercial zone.
Council was more concerned with an increase in truck traffic near land that’s been pegged for residential and business development.
“If you look at a 75-foot truck and many vehicles coming in on a daily basis, and you have a mixed residential and business district, it didn’t seem to be the best fit,” said Kozak.