An application to create a daycare at the former Fabricland location at 15 Manominee Street, which has been sitting empty since the fabric store closed its Huntsville location, was before Huntsville’s Development Services Committee on January 15, 2020.
The applicant, Danielle Dixon, asked the committee to approve a zoning amendment in order to allow a daycare as a permitted use in that location. She was also seeking an exemption for the required number of parking stalls for that side of Brendale Square as six stalls would be used to create a fenced outdoor space for the children on a rotational basis.
“It is a needed service in this town. After doing some research we found that the childcare centres that you already have open have lengthy waiting lists, so we believe that we’d be filling a void,” she said, adding that the childcare centre she’s proposing would be licensed, which means families in need will be able to apply for childcare subsidies.
Dixon also told the committee that the proposed space, which would comprise about half of the former Fabricland location, could accommodate a maximum of 54 children.
Dixon said the daycare would create eight or nine full-time positions and she is in the process of getting her floor plans approved. “I don’t foresee future problems with this location. I think that my program advisor will approve this location,” she told the committee, adding that daycares in plazas are common in other communities.
Cindy Fleury of GP Wealth Management was also in attendance. Her business is also located on Manominee Street in the Brendale Square Plaza. She asked the committee to deny the application citing limited parking, noise levels and the safety of the children in the outdoor play area among her concerns.
“There’s ten businesses in there and we don’t have enough spaces for ourselves,” she said, referring to the businesses who lease in that location. “What it’s going to do is it’s going to push the small businesses that are operating there out of there. The building is not well insulated, my office is right next door to a counselling session for children and I can hear those kids when they’re talking, in my office. Thank God my waiting room is at the beginning so there is some privacy, but you can hear everything. So to run a professional business and be next door to a daycare, it just doesn’t work. It would be like you guys trying to conduct business and … [listening] to kids yelling and screaming right there and trying to do your job,” she told committee.
While all of Brendale Square is within the influence of a former landfill, staff did not seem overly concerned and noted that any environmental issues would form part of the building permit process.
Committee also heard that in terms of additional parking, there would be nothing preventing people from parking on the John Street side of the plaza, if required.
In the end, the committee approved the zoning amendment. Their recommendation will be forwarded to council for ratification.
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We do have angled parking…..
Parking here is a huge issue and even with angled 45 degree parking we are below the established minimum required parking allotment for the size of the Brendale Complex
People who come to our particular centre are from every direction in Muskoka and North to South River so car pooling could be a bit of an issue.
I totally agree, Diane!
1) We need additional daycare spaces.
2) There are far more suitable locations.
3) While I am not concerned about safety in a fenced, supervised area; the size and the asphalt surface are less than ideal for active youngsters. Ideally, the asphalt could be replaced with an accessible compound- or a grass-surface.
4) Parking requirements could be reduced by 45-degree-angle parking and car pooling.
5) I absolutely cannot embrace the roof playground concept: It worked in “Clerks” for quasi-adults; but either it would be financially prohibitive, or incredibly unsafe here.
4) Parking is a non-issue; as
This is a difficult situation. Huntsville needs a Day Care Centre.
WE DO NOT OPPOSE THIS but WE STRONGLY BELIEVE that this proposed plan FOR A PLAYGROUND IN THE PARKING LOT IS LESS THAN IDEAL! The parking lot does not have good depth, and is 2 feet below the road and sidewalk grade so that access from the street to the building is nigh impossible. There would be continued through traffic of cars, garbage trucks and snowplow equipment from one end of the parking lot to the other, passing by the proposed playground.
As the owner of More Than Just Art, we are concerned of safety issues with parking lot congestion which would not only affect the Day Care, but the Music Centre, the clients of the OATC meth clinic, as well as our own clients and students as well. We offer classes and professional services to people of varying ages, babies and caregivers, children, adults and seniors, a good percentage of whom have some mobility issues. The suggestion that there is available parking near John Street is true, however the grade from John Street to our building is a long steep incline for the elderly, those with mobility issues and for people manoeuvring babies. The loss of six parking spaces would definitely create issues, especially in the winter months when there is not enough depth in the parking lot at the far end toward John Street to easily manoeuvre a vehicle and people are unable or reluctant to slant park.
We are not opposed to the Day Care Centre but a playground in the middle of a parking lot WHICH IS ALREADY SPACE RESTRICTED with THROUGH TRAFFIC is not safe. WHY NOT CONSIDER THE PLAYGROUND BE BUILT ON THE ROOF JUST OUTSIDE THE DAY CARE PREMISES!??!! Or Better still, let us help these people find a suitable location for a daycare centre which offers our little ones access to larger and safer grassy area, away from traffic and congestion.
Take a drive by 15 Manominee Street and see for ourselves!