The owners of a home at 80 Brandt Street in Steinbach want to rezone their property for commercial use. The house is located on the northwest corner of Brandt Street and Woodhaven Avenue. enVision Community Living, which has an office across the street, wants to buy the residence and convert it into an office.

City councillor Jac Siemens moved approval of First Reading to change the designation of the property in the city's Official Community Plan. He notes approval of First Reading would trigger a public hearing on the request.

"I would be okay with it but I would like to hear what the public has to say. As well, this would give an opportunity for council to put thought into the whole area because it could, potentially, affect a lot more. We are going into a review of our Zoning Bylaw and that would help with our understanding of what we want to do in that area as well."

City council unanimously approved First Reading to amend the Official Community Plan regarding 80 Brandt as well as a parallel motion to change the city's zoning for that property.

Councillor Michael Zwaagstra agrees this request could open up a wider discussion about commercial development in the whole block of Brandt Street between Woodhaven and Ellice Avenues.

"We have to look at what type of applications we continue to receive. We know that there is an increasing amount of commercial development along Brandt. It's obviously a busy area and we've seen some noticeable development over the last number of years. So, as the time goes on, as more applications come in, it's entirely possible that we could see more commercial properties along that way and more land becoming commercial. But that is largely dependent on what applications we receive and what happens in public hearings."

The public hearing on the request for 80 Brandt Street is expected within the next month.