A business owner southeast of Mitchell has been given permission to expand his shop to more than three times the legal size.
Ralph Toews appeared before Hanover Council last week. Toews owns a home-based business called RT Signs, located along Homestead Crescent. According to Hanover's Permit Administrator, Amos Wiebe, Toews obtained planning permissions and permits for this business back in 2005. Wiebe says the business has outgrown its existing shop space, and additional space is required.
Toews asked Council for permission to vary the maximum size for an accessory building from 2,000 square feet to 6,179 square feet. His current shop occupies 2,311 square feet of space.
Wiebe says in the 20 years that RT Signs has operated at that site, the municipality has not received any complaints about the operation. He notes the expansion is to accommodate the growing business.
"RT Signs is a success story in the RM of Hanover and has proven to be a good member of the community," notes Wiebe. "Administration does not have concerns about this proposal."
Following the public hearing, several councillors noted how large the proposed shop is. Councillor Ed Penner then made a motion to approve the application. The rest of Council agreed, with the condition that an additional driveway is not built at that site.
Hanover Reeve Jim Funk says Toews is a "phenomenal businessman," and that the municipality has never heard anything negative about his operation. However, he notes that because this is in a rural residential area, Council had some concerns, including precedence.
"If we allow this then there might be another one coming forward," he says. "And we have turned them down in the past."
Funk says at the end of the day, Council decided to allow Toews to build, noting it is case by case.
Funk credits Toews for discussing his plans with neighbours, noting he received their full support.
But Funk says it is for buildings like this that Hanover has industrial parks and commercial areas. He notes Council likes to see these businesses start at home and then once they grow to the magnitude of RT Signs, they look to relocate to an industrial area.
"In this case, he could find nothing that was available," adds Funk. "So that was one of the reasons I think Council felt that they were obligated to let him continue building."