Goderich council approved a zoning by-law amendment that would allow for a childcare facility on Suncoast Drive.
The application is to operate a private daycare in a former church at 321 Suncoast Drive East, across from A&W, and next to the Salvation Army Thrift Store.
The building had been empty for a long time, and the applicant for the amendment say that by running a private daycare facility within the building, it could create upwards of 88 new childcare spaces, from infant to pre-schooler, in the town.
The realtor who represents the property owners Brianne Webber, spoke in favour of the proposed amendment to council.
“We are so excited about this,” she said to council. “We’ve had a lot of people who want to move to Goderich… one of the drawbacks is [families] need two working parents. The [current] lack of daycare is not a good thing for Goderich, where this [application] would be able to bring families here, and provide a safe place for their children to be safe while they’re at work.”
Huron County planner Victor Kloeze says that in the zoning by-law, daycares are typically thought of as community facilities that are run by the government, whereas the private daycare proposed for the amendment wasn’t initially considered.
“Private daycares weren’t well-anticipated within the zoning by-law,” he explained. “So any of the locations that were under consideration, I believe all of them would have required a re-zoning in order to establish a private daycare.”
Members of council spoke in favour of the application.
The subject lands are designated Mixed Use Arterial and are proposed to be rezoned from Mixed Use Arterial (C3) to Mixed Use Arterial – Special Provisions (C3-30) in order to accommodate a childcare facility.
