By ROY WOOD

A proposal for a 430-seat neighborhood pub on a vacant piece of prime downtown Oliver real estate had council struggling Tuesday to figure out how best to avoid doing anything to discourage the plan.

The proposal would see the John Oliver Pub rise on the former site of the Mesa Hotel, which burned down in 2010.

The owners have made an application to the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch (LCLB) to transfer a liquor licence from the former Desert Country Resort and Spa on Main Street at the south end of town to the new location.

The application also seeks approval for an increase in capacity from 155 to 430, including outdoor patios.

Members of council were generally enthusiastic about the prospect of a business coming into the downtown core and filling one of its empty spaces.

Town planner Chris Garrish told council that the proposed use of property for a pub fits well within the parameters of the Official Community Plan (OCP) and current zoning. As well, he said, there is limited potential impact on residents and parking requirements can be easily handled.

According the provincial regulations, the town has two choices when responding to such a proposal:

•It can go through a public input process, gathering feedback from residents in a variety of way, including meetings, written submissions or even a referendum. The public responses then would have to be turned over to the LCBC for its perusal.

•Or, the town can opt to do nothing, in which case the LCBC would conduct its own gathering of public opinion.

Town staff recommended the second option, suggesting that the town pass a resolution telling the LCBC that it is opting out and leaving public engagement to the province.

Councillor Larry Schwartzenberger raised the hypothetical specter of the town holding a public hearing at which residents turned out to be against the proposal. In that case, he said, council would be obliged to pass the public view along to the LCBC.

Councillor Petra Veintimilla said she is uncomfortable with stepping out of the process and she voted against the resolution to do so.

Garrish told members that if council submitted just its own views to the LCBC, without the benefit of public discussion, those views would simply be ignored.

Mayor Ron Hovanes endorsed the opt-out notion, saying, “We are comfortable with not doing anything because the OCP and zoning are in line.”

In the end, council followed staff advice to leave the public hearings to the LCBC.
The reason for the name of the pub was not made clear in the documents shown to council. But John Oliver was premier of BC from 1918 through 1927 and is the namesake of the town.