A new daycare will be built in the Sagebrush neighbourhood of Kamloops.

After a public hearing last night, city council approved the rezoning of the property near 9th Avenue and McMurdo Drive, which will mean 50 more daycare spaces in the city.

Councillor Sadie Hunter says she was surprised the Sagebrush Neighbourhood Association was against this project, as they had previously been in support of the new daycare.

“A lot of the concerns surrounded around the potential increase in traffic in the area, especially in the winter time when that hill can get quite slippery,” she said, while on the NL Morning News. “And then some of the other concerns were questions about it being a good location for children given the air quality in the area because the highway is so close by.”

Hunter says councillors heard the concerns last night, but felt the need for daycare spaces outweighed those concerns.

“[The Children’s Circle Daycare Society] are addressing the air quality concerns with the building of an HVAC system,” Hunter added.

“In terms of traffic concerns, that will be something that we will be monitoring going forward and if there are issues that arise, in connection with the daycare and increased traffic, at certain times of the day, then we will address those as they come up.”

The property at 1430 Ninth Avenue was originally supposed to house 30 residential units, but that was changed after a land swap with ARPA Investments and the city. The daycare was initially expected to be built in Valleyview.

“This rezoning will allow us to realize our dream and, quite frankly, the need for a new Children’s Circle Daycare,” said Amy Pannett, the Secretary of CCDS. “Our Society has received the green light and this will allow us to help address the childcare deficit in our city by adding spaces for at least 50 more children.”

The CCDS was in need of the new daycare space because their current location on Third Avenue would be impacted with the expansion at Royal Inland Hospital. The Society will now be in the process of building a brand new, purposed-built centre with over 13,000 sq ft of light-filled indoor space and a large outdoor play area.