Penticton is growing, with thousands of new housing units proposed, approved or currently under construction. The City has plotted a selection of projects onto a map to give the community a visual overview of current development projects at this snapshot in time.
“Housing shortages and climbing rent prices continue to be a challenge in our community, and Penticton has a long way to go to meet demand,” says Blake Laven, Director of Planning and Development Services. “It’s important to understand the work underway to increase our housing stock, which is desperately needed to attract and retain skilled workers, hospital staff, students, seasonal workers and other professionals.”
Current developments underway include everything from rental housing and condo units to single-family homes.
The approximate number of housing units in the works include:
- 460 residential units under construction
- 1,402 residential units approved
- 2,070 units in the development application process
The new map can be viewed at penticton.ca/growing.
While these numbers put the City nearly 20 years ahead of the housing targets in the current Official Community Plan, more housing is needed. The City recently completed a Housing Needs Assessment, released in July 2023, which showed that between 2016 and 2021, Penticton’s annual growth rate was high, at 1.9 per cent. If this trend continues, the City could have 20,000 additional residents by 2046, putting the population above 56,000.
To meet this demand, Penticton would need to add 9,200 additional units across the city. Combined with the Province’s housing plan which proposes allowing up to four units on all single-family lots, there is the potential to see change in all Penticton neighbourhoods.
Council created a Task Force on Housing to review the housing policies in the Official Community Plan and make recommendations to meet the demand for housing in the city. The City is currently holding a series of events across Penticton to share this information and what it may mean for Penticton neighbourhoods. Visit shapeyourcitypenticton.ca/focus-on-housing for more information.