The grand vision for Penticton’s North Gateway is now open for public feedback.
Work on building concepts to guide development for the next several decades began in the spring of 2021 with collaboration between residents, stakeholders and local businesses.
The concepts focus on 10 key ideas that emerged out of those discussions and cooperative sessions.
These are the three gateways, referring to the Power Street and Westminster Ave. intersection, the Eckhardt Avenue and Highway 97 intersection and the Riverside and Highway 97 intersection; three corridors, referring to the Power Street, Westminster Ave. and Highway 97/Eckhardt Avenue corridors; and three districts, which broke up the area into a core around the SOEC, a south section along Highway 97 and a north section along Westminster Ave.
READ MORE: Bringing together local needs and tourism focus of Penticton’s North Gateway plan
The final key idea is a large Festival Boulevard, which would run through the centre of the North Gateway and connect Power Street and Burnaby Avenue.
“People from all walks of life will experience its cafés and outdoor patios, eye-catching art, events and festivals, eclectic shops and vibrant businesses, attractive and diverse housing, pathways for pedestrians and bikes, and recognition of the Syilx Okanagan connection to the land, all set in our beautiful natural environment,” said Anthony Haddad, the city’s general manager of community services.
Residents and businesses in the area of the North Gateway should watch for a letter in the mail with more information about the plan and opportunities to get involved.
Everyone else interested in getting involved in the project by providing feedback, or just finding out more, can check out the concepts and information on the city’s shapeyourcitypenticton.ca website as well as two online info sessions on Feb. 9 and 17, which will run from 7 p.m. until 8:30 and include a question period.
There will also be a self-guided tour at the Community Centre, with physical copies of the information and feedback forms available.
“Through this review, we want to confirm we are headed in the right direction and identify anything we have missed,” said Haddad. “With the feedback we gather, we will finalize the plan and share it with council for a decision in the spring.”
If the plan is supported, implementation will occur over the next few decades through partnerships between the City of Penticton, Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, Penticton Indian Band, landowners and the development community.
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