Competitor Metro is watching closely

Ignoring a postponement request from supermarket competitor Metro, Sault Ste. Marie City Council tonight approved a rezoning application for Ben Pino's proposed shopping centre on Great Northern Rd.

A planning consultant representing Metro Ontario Real Estate Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of grocery giant Metro Inc., wrote to the city today, indicating it had just learned of Pino's application today from news articles.

Metro asked that tonight's decision be deferred to allow it to review Pino's retail market impact study and land use planning justification.

Instead, councillors voted to immediately approve rezoning the Pino properties from 'highway zone' and 'medium industrial' to 'shopping centre commercial zone' and to re-designate part of the land from 'industrial' to 'commercial' in the official plan.

The proposed development would be directly across the street from the entrance to Walmart off Great Northern Road.

Ben Pino Investments Inc. has asked for a traffic signal there and the city's planning staff don't object to that.

Pino is willing to pay for the signals, councillors were told.

"It's a really nice development," Mayor Christian Provenzano said tonight.

Ward 1 Councillor Steve Butland commended Pino for the confidence Pino is demonstrating by re-investing in his community.

The new shopping centre is expected to create 100 full- and part-jobs.