Around a dozen residents in the Wiltse neighbourhoods shared concerns about the impact 700 residential units would have on the area and the environment at a public hearing in Penticton city council chambers Monday night.
The proposal is for 686 new homes built over many years. There will be 183 single family homes, 28 duplexes and 475 apartments located upslope of the Wiltse neighbourhood.
After nearly two hours of speakers, council had no comments. The next step will be for council to consider updates to the Official Community Plan and zoning bylaws and financial contributions at Tuesday’s meeting.
A shared concern from speakers at the public hearing is the density is too high for an area that lacks transit and infrastructure. The nearest bus stop is a kilometre away.
Another concern was the lack of a viable wildfire evacuation route, pointing to the situation that happened last year in the Juniper neighbourhood of Kamloops where vehicles were bumper to bumper not moving while a wildfire burned behind them.
There are only two access roads out of Wiltse.
“This is urban sprawl,” said Kyle who lives on Hawthorne Drive which is just below the development. “There is no infrastructure there, no transit, he added.
One resident said the development has the potential to be ‘awesome’ but needs to be put back to the drawing board to address the environment and habitat loss.
“Get it right the first time because once you approve this, you can’t go back and ask them to change things,” the resident said.
Jane who lives on Partridge Drive said the development has a very large footprint that is extremely disruptive to wildlife.
Another resident pointed out that 4o hectares of trees will be clearcut to make way for this housing.
Some worry about school capacity and traffic in the school zone.
The well known Wiltse family of Penticton and Wiltse Holdings have owned the land for many years. Ms. Wiltse, a director of Wiltse Holdings said they have allowed recreation use of their land and believe that the dedicated trail area below the Fortis power lines will continue to serve hikers and bikers. They are dedicating 28 ha of land to the city.
Wiltse Holdings is working with a developer who they believe will ‘leave a legacy for the Wiltses’ with the design of North Wiltse Block, said Wiltse at the public hearing.
The one month engagement process saw feedback from close to 600 residents, with 140 attending the city’s three information sessions. Of those who provided feedback, 40 per cent were opposed to the project and 60 per cent said what they liked best about it was the trails, conservation and single family homes.
The city will be requiring the developer to pay 85 per cent of the costs for extending a feeder line to the city’s water mains for the new development, with the city paying for the remaining 15 per cent, estimated at $300,000.