Rezoning application for 45835 Airport Road, home to Simrat Italiano Cuisine. (Image Credit: Mike Vanden Bosch.)
Public hearing

Chilliwack restaurant could get green light to expand with council vote

Sep 1, 2026 | 11:36 AM

CHILLIWACK – An Italian restaurant on Airport Road in Chilliwack could get the green light to expand at a public hearing later today.

Chilliwack City Council is set to hold a public hearing Tuesday at 4 p.m. into an application to rezone 45835 Airport Road from an M2 (service industrial) zone to a CSM (service commercial industrial) zone to allow for the expansion of an existing restaurant.

According to a city staff report, a small restaurant has been operating on the property since 1998 when Sherry’s Carpathian Kitchen began operating from one of the units within the existing building.

In 2025, Simrat Italiano Cuisine assumed control of the lease at 45835 Airport Road and continued operating a restaurant from the same unit within the building.

While in operation, a building permit application was submitted to the City of Chilliwack to expand the business and utilize the entire building instead of a single unit. Since the proposed expansion results in the floor area increasing, a rezoning application is required to rezone the property to the CSM zone.

As part of the rezoning process, applicant Chelsea Mueller has requested a development variance permit to waive the requirement to pave the maneuvering aisle providing access to the existing parking spaces at the rear of the property. According to a city staff report, while the spaces themselves are paved, the applicant is looking to retain the maneuvering aisle as a gravel surface rather than paving it in accordance with the zoning bylaw.

The applicant has agreed to pave the apron connecting the gravel maneuvering aisle to the street to reduce the potential for gravel to be tracked onto the adjacent road, the staff report noted.