By Mayor Julius Bloomfield
We know there is a demand for housing and we know Penticton is growing. And now the City is taking the steps to meet the challenges of accommodating all the predicted growth in a sustainable, planned fashion by updating the Official Community Plan.
The Official Community Plan, if you’ve given it any thought, might seem like document that gets talked about every few years and is a guide on how Penticton will grow into the future. Chances are you haven’t given it a lot of thought.
Now zoning, that’s something people pay more attention to. Over the years, that’s been the mechanism that decides how communities grow: where apartments go, where businesses can locate and when to make changes in what goes where. Zoning also means public hearings, where people have an opportunity to express support or opposition to plans in their neighbourhood.
That’s all about to change. The Official Community Plan will become a much more important document in guiding how we move forward and we want your input into the changes that are proposed.
The provincial government has made significant changes that will impact Penticton and we’re in the process of updating our bylaws to meet them.
Key among the changes is the provincial mandate that will allow construction of multi-units on all single and duplex zoned lots and that local bylaws be changed by June 30 to reflect this decision. Put simply, that means there will be no zones in the urban part of Penticton that are limited to single-detached homes or duplexes. Other zoning regulations, such as setbacks and building heights, will apply but up to four units will be allowed to be constructed.
Another provincial change is the ending of public hearings for projects that are consistent with the existing OCP or mixed-use developments where the project is more than 50 per cent housing.
And that’s why the process we’re going through now – revamping the Official Community Plan – is so important. Public hearings will still be held on changes to the OCP moving forward but this document is going to be the guiding factor in how housing gets built.
Penticton, fortunately, was ahead of the game. Council struck the Official Community Plan-Housing Task Force last year to provide ideas and suggestions on how we can meet the demand for housing in a sustained way that is attainable and accessible for all residents.
They came back with 18 recommendations that are now being developed into the OCP and include topics like removal of parking requirements in the downtown, supporting more density at key areas and along major roads, and increasing the allowable height of buildings in certain areas of the city.
As part of the task force’s work, a series of neighbourhood meetings were held throughout the city last fall and now we’re coming back to show you the proposed changes. The goal is to educate you on the changes and what the impacts will be in your part of the community. You can find all the details about the proposed changes and the dates for your neighbourhood by going to www.shapeyourcitypenticton.ca
There is also going to be a Council Open House on March 20 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre, where Council and staff will be on hand to discuss the OCP changes as well other issues like the leash-option pilot project and public safety.
We know change is coming and this is your chance to influence how that growth is going to happen.