Rumours have finally been verified by Bruce Morris of Trail Bay Development Ltd. who says Shoppers Drug Mart will be moving into Trail Bay Mall in Sechelt in the coming week.
Although the buzz about the new store has been circulating throughout the mall for the past few months, Morris says he just finalized the deal with Shoppers Drug Mart this week, after Sechelt council gave its nod of support.
"We have had a very positive experience with Sechelt council. They have been extremely supportive all the way through this process," said Morris.
At the District of Sechelt committee of the whole meeting on Tuesday, Morris presented plans for moving the new tenant into the current Pharmasave store and eventually re-facing the entire mall and building a new 16,000 sq. ft. space for the Shoppers Drug Mart store where Home Hardware, the coffee shop, doctors' offices and Chow's Café now sit.
The only bone of contention at the meeting was the size of the Shoppers Drug Mart sign that director of planning Ray Parfitt noted "is the biggest sign I've ever seen."
Councillors debated the issue of the sign's size, which Morris notes is about 45 feet wide and 15 feet high (in actual lettering) and will be mounted on the mall itself.
However, Morris said Shoppers Drug Mart insists the size of the sign remain untouched and has said making it smaller would be a "deal breaker."
Sechelt Mayor Cam Reid said it was better to approve the current size of the Shoppers Drug Mart sign and have the store move into the mall than "potentially put up an obstacle that will cause the tenant to go someplace else."
In the end council gave its approval to the plans presented by Morris. Development permits for the changes at Trail Bay Mall will be before council in the next few weeks.
Morris said he wants to have everything finalized and apply for a development permit as soon as possible.
Changes at the mall include exterior resurfacing and a new colour palette that incorporates blue, gray and orange tones, more distinct entranceways, new landscaping and a shuffle of businesses within the mall.
Home Hardware will be moving beside Paul's Paintin' Place in the Bayside Building, Flying Saucers Tea and Coffee, Trail Bay Doctors and Chow's Café will move to the middle section of the mall and, once Shoppers Drug Mart moves into the renovated Home Hardware location, the empty Pharmasave location will be split and leased to new tenants.
Surrounding retail buildings will also be given a new coat of paint to tie them in with the new mall colours.
All these changes should be completed by the spring of 2005.
Morris noted employees at Pharmasave have been hired by Shoppers Drug Mart so they will "continue the good service customers have come to expect from the drugstore in the mall." He said the current owners of the Pharmasave store are taking "a much-deserved retirement."
Starting this week, renovation plans and conceptual drawings will be displayed in the mall's photo window next to Photo Works.
