Penticton city council is one vote away from approving a multimillion-dollar complex that if built would significantly alter the appearance, population, culture and economic landscape of Penticton’s downtown core.

The Penticton Place and Penticton Centre proposal received second and third reading approval from council Monday evening. That would amend the necessary bylaws to allow the project’s builders to erect three towers (23, 20 and 22 storeys high) containing a hotel, an estimated 298 residential units and office space, as well as a podium below containing a restaurant, bistro, retail stores, a grocery and, perhaps, the city’s new library.

The vote followed a nearly two-and-a-half hour public hearing regarding the proposed complex where the public shared their views on the project, as did P2 architect Calvin Meiklejohn and developer of record Rick Borsuk of Sunwest Enterprises.

In the first and most utilized section of the hearing, about a dozen members of the public spoke in favour of the project, while about 16 voiced significant concerns, if not outright disapproval.

The most discussed issue concerning the P2 proposal was the towers’ heights, which would stand well over the Penticton’s current Official Community Plan’s guidelines and zoning bylaws of 10 storeys. Many speakers asserted that city approval of the massive project would be tantamount to letting development and developers guide city planning policy, particularly in regards to size restrictions.

There were also suggestions that the city had not negotiated an appropriate amount of city benefits in exchange for potentially allowing the towers to reach heights so disproportionately taller than the rest of the city’s other structures.

In council’s discussions prior to the vote regarding the issue, Coun. Mike Pearce listed off what he felt were the benefits of approving the project including: bringing more people to the downtown core; providing high-density housing units; creating employment in the community; a grocery store and hotel in the downtown core; a tax base of over $100 million; and that the building’s design would be a catalyst for environmentally sustainable change in the manner in which other buildings are constructed.

“I think, with my vote, it would be foolish not to proceed with this one as it is a once-in-a-lifetime (opportunity) for Penticton,” said Pearce.

Also speaking in favour of the project, Coun. John Vassilaki recalled passionately how throughout the 53 years he has lived in Penticton, residents have been opposed to new building proposals that would be taller than what people were used to, citing the negative reaction to his construction of a four-storey, 24-unit residential building in 1970.

“The biggest problem that we have in Penticton is that we cannot get used to change and folks, you have got understand that change is coming and there is nothing any one of us can do about it,” said Vassilaki, who added that Penticton badly needs a hotel of the quality proposed in P2.

“We need the quality of the rooms for our convention centre, for our South Okanagan Events Centre, for all the facilities that have cost us $100 million,” he said. “We have to do something to bring the people (to Penticton) to pay for those facilities that we have and with out a quality project like this we can’t bring them in.”

“(The developers) promised me that the hotel is going to be the second phase so I have to take them to their word and if they back away from that word they will be hearing from me and there is nothing worse than Greek revenge,” he added.

Only Coun. Garry Litke opposed the proposal, after his motion to have staff try to negotiate a lower design for the towers did not receive a seconder.

“I have been supportive of this project all along, it’s incorporating many of the things that we want in smart growth and density,” explained Litke. “But we heard tonight that there are a number of concerns about the height — that is why I attempted to introduce a motion to have our staff go back to the developer and see if there is any wiggle room on the height.”

city@pentictonwesternnews.com