Hold the pickle, hold the lettuce and hold the drive-thrus.
On Monday, city council passed a new zoning bylaw that had been debated, both around the council table and in the public, for months.
Strangely enough, the bylaw itself was not the main point of public debate. The move impacts every property in the city, promoting density, allowing for smaller residential dwellings and laneway houses.
But one portion of the bylaw has received a lot of debate. It’s the portion which would have allowed drive-thrus on “highway commercial” zones. That comes down to a handful of properties on Nelson Avenue.
However, even that small amount was too much for some people, including council members who had any reference of drive-thrus taken out of the bylaw.
Good-bye McDonalds and so long Tim Horton’s, you have no place here, at least your long line of idling drivers waiting to be served from the comfort of their car seats aren’t welcome.
Council’s decision, like most political moves, has both supporters and detractors.
Avoiding drive-thrus will at least help keep greenhouse gases down. It also allows the community to retain its “small-town” heritage feel that attracts so many people — if you ignore the Walmart, A&W (complete with drive-thru) and other small examples of corporate invasion.
Family-run businesses and restaurants also benefit from the lack of corporate competition. But growth is inevitable. What council did this week is to control how the city will grow, but it may not be able to hold back the flood gates forever.