Council has voted to let staff go ahead and develop site plan agreements for a new Canadian Tire store in Port Elgin, and a Rexall Pharma Plus drug store in Southampton.
The Rexall store will be located at the corner of Adelaide and Albert Streets and will be over 11 thousand square feet in size.
Councillor Diane Huber wants to be sure the appearance of the store blends in with the community.
She wants Rexall to follow the example of the unique design of the nearby Tim Horton’s.
Huber says the drug store is a great idea as a gateway business to Southampton but as the first large retail store to set up on the edge of town, it needs to “be the showcase that it should be.”
The new Port Elgin Canadian Tire will cover nearly 53 thousand square feet and will be located on the same site as the new Wal-Mart.
The new store will also contain a Marks Work Wearhouse.
Mayor Mike Smith says it isn’t clear yet when construction will start.
He thinks Canadian Tire will make it’s decision based on “commercial reasons,” but once the site plan agreement is finalized, building can start anytime.
