A new Co-op gas station, convenience store, and touchless car wash in the Campbell Creek Industrial Park is one step closer to becoming reality.

Kamloops City councillors unanimously voted in favour of issuing a development permit for the site at 7750 Dallas Drive, just off Highway 1, near the Kokanee Way exit.

“The property is located at the entrance to the Campbell Creek Industrial Park, a highly visible tract of land that is appropriate for the development of service commercial and light to general industrial uses,” a report to city council said.

An earlier proposal at that same site that also included a commercial cardlock was turned down by the previous city council owing to concerns from residents about truck traffic at all hours of the day.

The City’s Development, Engineering, and Sustainability Director Marvin Kwiatkowski says the 0.88 hectare property is already zoned to allow the development being proposed to move ahead.

“This application came before council in December 2020 [and] at that point in time, there was an amendment to [a nearly two decade old] restrictive covenant to allow a fuel bar as well as the convenience store,” he said.

“This is coming before you now because they are moving forward with the development.”

Kwiatkowski also noted that while the restrictive covenant was modified to allow businesses like a gas station and a restaurant to be set up, other businesses like autobody shops, machine shops, welding shops, and commercial cardlocks are not permitted to “reduce land use conflicts with the nearby residential neighbourhood.”

“When this first came to us, I thought here was some sort of restaurant, coffee shop type of thing involved with it and I don’t see that there now, so has that changed? Or am I just misremembering?” Councillor Dale Bass asked.

“Yeah, its more of a convenience store at this point in time. The covenant did allow for a restaurant but they didn’t choose to go that route,” Kwiatkowski responded.

City staff will issue the development permit once the city receives a $212,617 landscape security payment from the developers.

At this time, there is no word on when construction at this property will begin.