Zone change goes to council this week on former St. Rita's school
What used to be St. Rita's Catholic School could be in for a reupholstery.
Dennis Simpson of Innerkip has plans to open a furniture store out of the former school at Dundas and Clarke St. in Woodstock.
Simpson says there's a number of factors that make the building ideal for a furniture showroom. "The size of the building, the location, the price. You know, then there's different room settings I can set up for furniture, different furniture for different room types. It's ideal in that sense."
Simpson has 25-years of retail experience and is also opening a flooring store in Seagrave that's set to open February 1st.
However, Woodstock Mayor Pat Sobeski says in order for the furniture store concept to move forward, city council has to approve a zone change. "The property is currently zoned as institutional because it's a school. The request is for C-4 zoning, and C-4 zoning does include a furniture store."
The plans were presented at Monday night's planning meeting where the only concerns were raised by the downtown BIA about more commercial space opening outside of the core. Sobeski says, "Council listened to the presentation. There didn't seem to be too many questions and of course it will come forward before council on Thursday night."

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