Two developments are being proposed in Sun Peaks which would both be firsts for the community.

A developer wants to build a gas station and a separate storefront for retail cannabis on the same property, located at 1235 Alpine Road near the entry point to the village.

Sun Peaks mayor Al Raine says the proposal was at last night’s council meeting.

“Staff advised council that we didn’t have enough information in terms of traffic flows, access to the property. And we didn’t even get into the whole cannabis issue,” he says. “The intent was always that site would be a gas station, the whole marijuana and cannabis shop is a new twist to it.”

Raine says zoning in the municipality is set up to only allow retail stores on a case-by-case basis.

“There’s no zone for a cannabis shop at this time. So council would look at that, and we would look to see ‘would the province license them?’ And if the province licenses them, then we would look at the zoning issue.”

Meanwhile the closest gas station to the village is about 30 kilometres away in Heffley Creek, and mayor Al Raine says one is needed in town.

“That location is a good location, in that there’s quite a bit of new development taking place around there. And with the gas station, kind of a small grocery store and things like that, that’s definitely needed.”