The developer of a former motel site will look to clear a major hurdle at Penticton council next week for a proposed six-storey apartment building in the city’s North Gateway area.
Council will review a plan this Tuesday, Dec. 6, that calls for the development of a 234-unit strata apartment at 270 Riverside Drive. It would be built on the site of the old Ogopogo motel, which was demolished in 2021.
Allowing for the strata to be used for vacation rentals, as well as a slight reduction in the number of parking spaces, are among the revised requests made by the applicant. Currently at 291, developers are hoping to reduce the minimum number of spaces to 290.
If approved on Tuesday, the 117 one-bedroom and 89 two-bedroom development would be sent to a public hearing at a future meeting.
The property is located on the east side of Riverside Drive, south of the shopping plaza. It would also surround a soon-to-be-completed 35-unit townhouse development.
Part of the North Gateway area — also referred to as Penticton’s first-ever neighbourhood where people could work, shop, live and play all within a 15-minute walking radius — the proposed development is in line with the plan’s desired density along Riverside Drive and contributes to the goal of adding a total of 2,000 new residential units in the area.
Tuesday’s council meeting won’t mark the first time the property has been subject to local political discussion. In 2011, developers proposed constructing 15-storey residential buildings consisting of two towers on the site.
Though the property is currently zoned for a high rise of that nature, the development was never constructed.
“The North Gateway Plan also recognizes that most residential developments in this area will take a form of approximately 6 storeys,” city staff noted.
Along with the one and two-bedroom options, the proposed development features a total of 28 studio units.
Mayor and council will converge at 1 p.m. at city hall for their second regular meeting since the Oct. 15 election.
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