Tank farm operation approved by city council with bylaw ban reversal

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. —A tank farm in Fort St. John has been given the green light to expand its operations, despite a previous ban.

On July 14th, the City of Fort St. John held a public hearing for a zoning bylaw amendment application submitted by Reliance Ventures, an oil and gas services company operating out of Fort St. John and Grande Prairie. 

The application, which was reviewed by city council and tentatively approved on June 23rd, details the development of a tank farm on 77th Avenue in Fort St. John. 

The staff report which accompanied the application in June explained the property was not in compliance with the current bylaws due to changes to relevant zoning bylaws in 2019. 

The property is zoned as M-1 Light Industrial, whereas after 2019 tank farm properties must be in M-2 Heavy Industrial zones.

The property was still functioning as a tank farm due to an exception made for existing tank farms in the region; it was protected from the bylaw by being labelled as ‘non-conforming.’

This meant while no further development could be conducted on the property, the existing infrastructure could be utilized. 

During the hearing, no letters of objection were received by the city, and no residents rose to voice their concerns about the application. 

As such, following the conclusion of the public hearing, Mayor Lilia Hansen and city councillors unanimously approved the zoning bylaw amendment. 

The tank farm property on 77th Avenue, now in compliance with existing bylaws, can be developed further by Reliance Ventures. 

No information was provided by the applicant at the hearing on whether work would be conducted on the property in the near future.