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Larco rezoning unanimously opposed

Decision not about London Drugs council says
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Jim Watts delilvers his pro-London Drugs petition last week. Photo by Clare Ogilvie

By Alison Taylor

Council felt the heavy burden of their roles as decision-makers this week as they made what could be the most unpopular decision of their term.

Despite a groundswell of community support, all seven members were unanimous in their vote Monday night against a rezoning application that would have paved the way for a London Drugs store in the village. It was not an easy decision.

“This was, for me, a gut wrenching issue,” said Mayor Ken Melamed late Monday night after the council meeting. “We don’t relish having to disagree with the community.

“I feel a certain amount of anguish because I know that there are people who are going to be dissatisfied with the decision and feel like I’ve betrayed them. And I take that personally and I have to try and mend those relationships.

“It doesn’t end tonight.”

Monday’s decision does end, however, 22 months of debate and speculation over a potential London Drugs store, which could have offered cheaper every-day goods to local residents.

For many it was seen as a chance to make life in Whistler just a little more affordable.

“I think there’s going to be a lot of anger out there (over this decision),” said resident Jim Watts, who gathered more than 1,000 signatures on an online petition supporting London Drugs and who attended Monday’s meeting to hear the rationale for council’s decision.

“I just think they don’t have a better plan for affordability.”

That point wasn’t lost on council despite their decision.

The mayor said it’s a continual challenge balancing the needs and wants of the community with the interests of the resort.

“We are a resort community,” he said. “It’s a unique animal.

“There are choices that local residents have to make to live here and we can’t be all things to all people.”

The community, he added, agreed during the Whistler 2020 consultation process that Whistler was a tourism destination, and the 2020 process forms the backbone of the town’s sustainability plan.

“We don’t exist without those visitors,” said Melamed. “We know they’re not going to travel here for London Drugs.”

He was grateful to have a unanimous council decision although he admitted it was very interesting to see every councillor vote against the rezoning despite the obvious popular support for London Drugs.

When asked to explain that he said:

“It’s not about London Drugs.”

It was a point Councillor Nancy Wilhelm-Morden raised twice as she explained her vote to roughly 75 community members who were at the meeting.

She said the community debate centered on who was for or against London Drugs, a debate that pitted community member against fellow community member. That, said Wilhelm-Morden, is hiding the real issue by “skillful manipulation of public opinion.”

The real issue is a rezoning. Council cannot guarantee affordability through its zoning.

What if the London Drugs deal fell through after the rezoning despite the best intentions, she asked. With the space zoned for retail the way would be paved for a Canadian Tire, a Zellers, or more likely, an indoor mall with several retail stores.

“And there’s nothing the municipality can do about that,” said Wilhelm-Morden.

That wasn’t the only issue council raised.

While several spoke out about London Drugs being a good corporate citizen, that didn’t take away from the fact it could have been a threat to local businesses.

Councillor Gord McKeever likened its impact to a grenade going off in a small room. Bringing a London Drugs store to a town with a permanent population of 10,000 is like bringing a Wal-Mart to a town of 50,000.

“The more we look like Coquitlam Centre, the less reason people have to come here,” said McKeever.

The rezoning proposal was brought forward by Larco, the landlords of the Whistler Village Centre building which is home to Mongolie Grill and Eddie Bauer, among other businesses.

Larco’s proposal called for council to rezone more than 12,000 square feet of underground space to allow retail, which would be connected by an escalator to roughly 5,000 square feet of above ground space. That would create a retail space of more than 17,000 square feet — the second biggest space in the village after the IGA Marketplace at 26,000 square feet. The next biggest space after that is roughly 7,000 square feet.

“We’re imposing a 17,000 square foot solution on a 5,000 square foot problem,” said Councillor Tim Wake, who urged council to find a solution in a smaller space.

But London Drugs president and chief operating officer said it’s not possible for them to fit in a 5,000 square foot space.

“The magic of London Drugs, especially for tourism, is a unique product mix and you cannot do that in a 5,000 square foot store,” said a disappointed Wynne Powell. “As much as we would like to, it’s just not possible to do.”

When asked the following day what Larco’s plans are for the space, which is zoned in part for indoor recreation, Jonathan Lazar was not confident they could fill the space.

“We will continue to market the space for the allowable uses, but… there is very little demand at present for any of the permitted uses,” he said.

“No indoor recreation business model has been brought to me to suggest that it can work.”

And while there was disappointment on all sides for those hoping to see London Drugs in town, Watts does not believe it’s the end of the debate.

“There’s certainly a lot of anger out there,” he said. “We’ll see how it manifests as we head towards the next election.

“What the majority wants usually happens, eventually. I think sooner or later it will come to fruition.”