Swift Current city council is considering making changes to a zoning bylaw that would permit liquor stores to operate in the C4 - Shopping Center Commercial District.

The City received an application from the Pioneer Co-Op in the Wheatland Mall requesting the change that would accommodate for a potential change-of-use development in the future. The change would also bring the existing liquor store in the Swift Current Mall into compliance.

"I'm not too sure on the context on how the existing liquor store was approved, it was before my time," Michael Ruus, general manager of planning and growth development for Swift Current, said. "Right now liquor stores aren't listed as a permitted use in that commercial shopping district, so we're looking to amend the bylaw to provide a solution for that."

The only person at city council Monday night to have any insight into the liquor store not being zoned properly was City CAO Tim Marcus.

"I believe the existing one was developed around 2005," he said. "That would have been when administration at the city hall was at the mall and it would have been an oversight by administration at the time to not bring the amendment forward prior to that being the case."

For the zoning change to be made, the application must make it through the City's three-step system.

First is public notice which will be posted on the City's website as well as an ad appearing in consecutive issues of the Southwest Booster.

Second is a public hearing to be held during a future city council meeting.

And last is for council to make their decision.