On the outskirts of Penticton, one winery’s prerogative to expand its services has been met with opposition by many of its neighbours.
At the regular council meeting on May 4, staff from Bench 1775 Winery asked for the city’s support in its application to approve the addition of a wine lounge and special events area (SEA) on the premises. The public gallery was overflowing with residents who weren’t in support of the idea.
A permitted wine lounge allows the establishment to serve wine outside of its tasting room, and also permits food to be served. The application for a special events area is seeking permission to host private functions without excessive paperwork. Bench 1775 Winery already hosts special events, but must seek bureaucratic approval each time a wedding or similar function is booked.
“It’s a lot of paperwork and expensive,” Coun. Helena Konanz said. “It’s an onerous situation to be in when you have to keep applying.”
Council was told by staff at the May 4 meeting that similar expansions are a growing trend at wineries in the Okanagan, but Bench 1775 Winery is the only winery in then area to make the pitch so far — and that could set a precedent.
Before the matter was deliberated, the public sent in 14 letters of non-support, with complaints primarily focusing around late operating hours, noise from live music and traffic, and the increased chance of drunk driving.
“Our goal is to be good neighbours,” said Trevor Broker, vineyard manager. “And we want to have a business that takes advantage of the growing industry on the bench and tourism of wine industry on the bench.”
Neighbour Debbie Sorter said that she and her family have been disturbed by loud music from special events in the past.
“The music was blasting with no consideration to neighbours,” she said. “The tranquility of the Naramata bench and what it is known for is now in jeopardy.”
The closest neighbour is Maria Wiseman, who’s been living on Naramata Road since 1967. She said that Bench 1775 has been hosting noisy parties for the past two years, and worries the irritation will intensify with a SEA.
“If they want to be having these parties they should go down to the industrial area — that’s a quiet place; there’s nobody there,” she said. “This is not a restaurant downtown.”
In a letter of non-support, neighbours Jill and Peter Sanders said they don’t think the proposed use fits well on ALR land.
“We were horrified to find out that this is a commercial business that could get a license to disturb the neighbourhood six nights a week.”
Colleen Pennington, economic development officer for the City of Penticton, spoke in support of the application. She said B.C. hosts a wine industry with an economic impact of $2 billion, and as the players become more competitive, there’s a need for wineries to “take more aggressive efforts in terms of marketing their product, creating brand awareness and developing export markets.”
In effort to appease both parties, Pennington said she’ll explore comparable situations in similar communities, and will consult the Naramata Bench Winery Association.
After the meeting, Konanz said the public input gave her a clearer picture as to how the community felt, and believes there’s a solution to appease everybody.
“The wineries are doing everything they can to try and make it because there is such intense competition, so they’re going to try different things as any business would to try to compete,” she said. “There will be a compromise in the neighbourhood because the businesses need to be able to continue to thrive and the residents need to be able to live in peace.”
The approval of an SEA would allow for an unlimited number of guests on the grounds during outdoor events, though a letter from general manager Val Tait said there would only be a maximum of ten late events each year.