Ben Pino proposes new shopping centre, across Great Northern Rd. from Walmart

Ben Pino Investments Inc. is proposing to build a second Pino's Get Fresh supermarket and a pharmacy as part of a new shopping centre directly across Great Northern Rd. from the Walmart entrance.

Pino has acquired all the property on the west side of Great Northern Rd. from Second Line to Industrial Park Crescent, except for the Petro Canada station at Second Line.

A zoning application to be considered by City Council on Tuesday night shows a 106,700-square-foot shopping centre with 421 parking spaces stretching the full length of Pino's lands.

The proposed development includes a 59,950-square-foot grocery store, an 18,740-square-foot pharmacy and 28,015 square feet of additional commercial space, possibly including a restaurant.

Proposed road access to the new development would be from Great Northern Rd., Second Line and Industrial Park Crescent.

The access driveway from Great Northern Rd. would align with the existing Walmart access driveway.

Pino is asking that traffic signals be installed there, and that the Second Line access driveway be designed for right-in/right-out movement only.

A traffic analysis study of the area done by the city suggests that any traffic signals installed on Great Northern Rd. should be directly linked via fiber-optic cable to the traffic signal at the Great Northern Rd./ Second Line intersection at the developer’s expense.

"Having no access onto Second Line is preferred given the proximity to the Great Northern Rd. intersection," says a city report. "However the applicant believes this is important to the development."

Pino's lands, totalling 3.6 hectares, have been vacant for more than 25 years, except for a bank kiosk that existed for several years north of the gas station, says Don McConnell, the city's director of planning and enterprise services.

"A portion of the property was previously identified as having archeological potential," McConnell says. "However, given that the property has been completely cleared and excavated to a depth sufficient to remove tree stumps, it is unlikely that any artifacts of historical significance remain."

A retail market demand analysis conducted by urbanMetrics Inc. included a consumer telephone survey of residents of the trade area, as well an inventory of competitive space and license plate surveys at two nearby supermarkets and Walmart.

"The study concluded that the development of a supermarket-anchored commercial centre on the subject lands, with a first full year of operation in 2019, can be supported from a market demand perspective without impacting the planned function or viability of any designated commercial areas in the City of Sault Ste. Marie," McConnell said in a report to City Council.

"The study found that those supermarkets closest to the subject property will experience the greatest sales loss along with a portion of the existing sales at the Trunk Rd. Pino’s as Pino’s shoppers will choose the closer store. However the estimated sales declines are considered acceptable and within the bounds of normal competition between stores and are not expected to cause the closure of any individual store."

"The study also concluded that the proposed development will have minimal effect on the downtown as there are no supermarkets in that area, although the Station Mall Walmart does include a grocery component."

"This study also considered a possible 18,740-square-foot pharmacy and concluded that the local area is underserved by existing stand-alone pharmacies and the potential location of a pharmacy store at the subject site, close to the Sault Area Hospital, will be a welcome addition to the retail offering in the local area."

Next week's City Council meeting will be livestreamed on SooToday starting at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday.