Council advanced the proposal for the North Wiltse block to public hearing on June 20, 2022, after receiving the results of the engagement process at their meeting on June 7, 2022. The City conducted a one-month engagement process to involve the community in a review of the proposal prior to giving the requested amendments to the Official Community Plan and Zoning Bylaw first reading and initiating the legislated public process.
Through the engagement process, which ran between April 11 and May 8, staff received feedback from nearly 600 participants and approximately 140 citizens who attended three information sessions. About 60 per cent of the participants were supportive of the proposal, identifying the trails and pedestrian walkways, conservation lands, parks and single-family homes as their favorite features. Participants who had concerns identified environmental impacts such as clearing trees, the proposed density and lack of commercial uses, wildfire threats and emergency egress, and some of the existing issues in the community such as school capacity, speeding on Wiltse Blvd and Pineview Rd. and other traffic impacts. A summary report and complete results of the engagement process are available at shapeyourcitypenticton.ca.
Based on the findings of the engagement process, the applicant made four key changes to the proposal that was submitted for Council’s consideration including:
- adding public park land on the west side of the new collector road near the north entrance to the development
- adding the ‘Urban Residential’ designation to several multi-family blocks on the eastern side of the development to clarify the applicant’s intent to provide flexibility for apartments up to six storeys or townhomes in these areas
- downzoning a townhouse block above the north end of Hawthorn Drive from medium to low density multiple housing to prohibit apartments and limit building heights
- providing a 3m wide environmental covenant area on future lots backing onto Hawthorn Dr to maintain vegetation between existing and future homes
In addition to giving first reading to the bylaw amendments required for the revised proposal, Council also provided direction on cost recovery for two associated infrastructure projects. With Council’s direction, the City will cover 15 per cent of the cost of a portion of the treated water system infrastructure required to facilitate the full build-out of the subject properties (estimated at $300,000) with all remaining costs funded by the development. Council also supported the recommendation to require a separated bike lane and associated traffic calming measures, but endorsed an alternative recommendation to require this infrastructure to be fully developer funded. This new cycling facility and associated traffic calming, envisioned in the Transportation Master Plan, will link the new development to the Lake-to-Lake Bike Route and is required to be complete prior to the new development connecting to Wilts Boulevard.
“This proposal has been in the works for many years and it is exciting to see it come forward. We are very pleased with the variety of housing and park lands proposed as well as with the revisions and concessions the applicant made in response to the community’s feedback,” said Penticton Mayor John Vassilaki. “Through the public hearing process, we can hear from the community if the revisions are acceptable before we determine whether or not to proceed with further readings of the amendments and move this application forward.”
If the amendments receive further readings and are adopted following the public hearing, additional applications and processes will be required where it will be possible to address other concerns surfaced by the community in the engagement process. These processes include subdivision approval, earthworks permits, and development permit area guidelines. Information about the hearing will be published at www.penticton.ca.