By Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Tyler Waugh
The woman behind a plan to convert the former St. Patrick’s Catholic Church into a non-profit gallery and arts centre has put her money where her mouth is in a quest to get the location’s zoning changed to accommodate her vision.
Linda Goodyear had tried to save on the $4,000 rezoning fee by asking Witless Bay council to include the zoning change in the pending amendments to the town’s municipal plan.
However, council turned down that request in August arguing the new municipal plan is not far enough along in its preparation.
Goodyear ultimately paid the fee and at council’s September 9 public meeting councillor Ralph Carey gave notice that he would make a motion to amend the municipal plan and development regulations to accommodate Goodyear’s gallery located at 7 The Avenue.
“This is the old church location and so we are starting to see some forward motion in it becoming something other, which is a good thing,” Carey said. “The first thing we need to do is give notice of that at a future council meeting.”
Goodyear called it a step in the right direction. She bought the church a little more than a year ago in the hope of turning it into a focal point for artists and artisans from the Irish Loop to showcase and sell their wares. She hopes to be fully up and running in time for the 2027 tourist season.
Council didn’t advertise the notice of the proposed zoning change, but put a notice on its website advising residents they had until Noon on October 1 to comment on it.
One written submission was received at 12:32 p.m, shortly after the deadline.
“We also received a telephone enquiry about whether the proposed rezoning would affect 5 The Avenue,” said Witless Bay’s chief administrative officer CAO Neil Stamp. “Council is currently considering whether to proceed. If council decides to move forward, the next step would be a motion to submit the proposed amendments to the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs for its Section 15 review and release. That would be a further step in the process, rather than final approval of the rezoning.”
If approved, the zoning will change from Public Building to Mixed Development.
