Eight new jobs for skilled trades workers are on their way as Lake Cowichan town council approved South Shore Cabinetry’s request to expand its operation.
A permit for improvements to the site at 181 South Shore Rd. was approved by Lake Cowichan Town Council at its regular meeting Tuesday, Jan. 24.
Town CAO Joe Fernandez said there have been no complaints from neighbours.
“The required letters were sent to the adjacent properties. We got no feedback from those letters and as you can see the recommendation is to allow the development permit, subject to a couple of conditions: a wastewater management plan and the replacement of the light fixtures with a shield,” he said.
The development permit will allow the new two-storey building to be only 0.35 metres from the front lot line in one place on the lot on South Shore Road plus another small variance within the lot itself.
“We’re in the process of getting the right fit for our business,” said company owner Roy Sandsmark. “We’ve found that the actual site is going to be conducive to our main operations. Once we have this approval in place, I think we’re going to have a facility that’s going to be something that the Town of Lake Cowichan can be proud of.
“It’ll be something that is modern, something I think is very proactive for this area. We’re hoping it will draw people into the town, just to come in and have a look at our product. This last year we’ve enjoyed a lot of success and we’re hoping to build on that. We’re finding that that location works well for us,” he said.
Because South Shore Cabinetry is like a lot of modern companies, its products attract online shoppers from all over the place.
“We don’t have to be downtown in a metropolis to be able to do this. I’m hoping that we’ll be able to have all of our manufacturing here,” Sandsmark said.
Mayor Ross Forrest told him the operation is a positive addition to the community.
“It is already something that we’re proud of and this will make us even more proud,” he said.
Sandsmark then shared that by the time the new facility is finished, the company will have 20 people building his product in Lake Cowichan.
“We have 12 people now; this will mean eight new spots at the plant, not to mention that we will be having installing crews as well,” he said.
The word is out about South Shore Cabinetry. Sandsmark said they’ve been noticed on the internet improvement resource centre called Houzz.
“You can go in there to search anything online, whether it’s new construction or fireplace, kitchens or bathrooms,” Sandsmark said.
“It’s a worldwide company that’s located in the United States and South Shore Cabinetry had a laundry room in their top 10 downloads in 2016 in North America. We got a medallion for that. It’s something that the guys are very proud of,” he said.