Owen Sound City Council is putting a stop to the proposed expansion of Walmart.
Council last night defeated a motion by a 6-3 vote that would have approved the expansion of the Walmart grocery store section by 30 thousand square feet.
The official motion to turn down the application will be approved at next Monday’s meeting.
Mayor Ruth Lovell-Stanners says they did not vote on it at last night’s meeting because Council needed time to clearly outline the motion.
Lovell-Stanners says it needs to be positively clear in case Walmart takes their decision to the Ontario Municipal Board.
Rob Howe, a consultant for Walmart who spoke at the meeting says they would prefer if a solution could be worked out that everyone supported — but if not — than going to the OMB is a possibility.
Howe says that decision has not been made yet.
Lovell-Stanners says council makes decisions based on what is best for the community, not on the threat of possibly going to the OMB.
She says her main reason for voting against the motion was because the expansion simply goes against the City’s official plan.
Lovell-Stanners says if the downtown A&P grocery store was closed because of the expansion, it would fly in the face of the plan.
She says the majority of users of the A&P are seniors who don’t have vehicles to get to either end of the city.
She says if A&P went out of business, those people would be forced to shop at highly priced convenient stores without the selection of fresh fruit and vegetables.
Lovell Stanners says she firmly believes in their official plan and the importance of a strong and vibrant downtown core.