Input on 'village nodes' sought

by John MoorhouseThursday, February 1, 2007 http://www.pentictonherald.ca/article_2952.php

How high is too high? Where should Penticton's tallest buildings be located? How will they impact the character of the neighbourhood?The questions were as varied as the responses at an open house Wednesday into proposed amendments to the official community plan as it pertains to high density housing.The city's community plan review task force has proposed high density development be restricted to specific "village nodes" located along the Main Street-Skaha Lake Road corridor. Each node would be within a five-minute walk of the nearby shopping areas . . . downtown, Penticton Plaza, Cherry Lane, Peach Tree Square and near Yorkton Avenue.

A similar "north gateway" development is proposed for the area around the South Okanagan Event Centre.A steady stream of residents turned out to the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre to view the plans and provide comments. The reaction was mixed.Barbara Lambert said she would rather see a cap of seven or eight storeys on higher density development, rather than the 45-metre (150-foot) limit proposed in the OCP review."My own particular feeling is the height of the proposed highrise areas is too high," she said. "I really don't know where this idea of 150-foot buildings came from. I hope it's not engraved in stone."Lambert suggested lower buildings help improve sightlines and makes for a friendlier neighbourhood feeling."That's been proved in many cities and I think it would be an important thing to think about here in Penticton," she said.

However, others support the idea of increased height in the core of the city.Sandy Ross said the village nodes would allow people to walk to nearby stores and thus decrease the need to drive everywhere."That's a very positive thing. This city has developed very much on a suburban model," he said. "You basically can't function without a car."Ross said he would particularly to like to see more parks and other outdoor greenspace features, rather than parking lots which often represent the only open space in many commercial neighbourhoods.People in Penticton should concentrate more on the urban environment surrounding their homes, Ross added, rather than worry so much about the view."The buildings become part of the view. You develop a skyline and that's part of the view," he said.

Vitaliy Selivanov also sees no problem with Penticton's skyline reaching higher."It's a good idea. It will attract lots of tourists to our city," he said. "It's future. You can't stop progress.""Fifteen storeys is OK. It's a small town and we should raise the height."Those attending the open house were invited to fill out a questionnaire outlining their thoughts on the urban village concept, the proposed maximum height of 15 storeys and other design guidelines.City planner Donna Butler said the survey comments will be compiled by city staff, along with input from a roundtable discussion among invited participants next week. The task force will review any revisions and could opt for additional public input before presenting the plan to city council later this spring."It would be nice to set the rules out so everybody knows, sooner than later, what's happening in Penticton," Butler said."I think council is looking forward to getting a community plan in place that has the general support of the community and to stick with the designations and the heights until we review the plan again."