We are very disappointed to learn that city council has pushed through the Kinney development.
Once again the council has not listened to the will of the people concerned and pushed through a pet project. Once again they will learn that the negative reaction to this project will not go away. It is obvious that they had already made up their mind about this project and the community meeting was just a formality.
The fact that they voted immediately the next day without time for consideration or feedback makes one wonder what kind of back room deal they had going on. They didn’t listen to all the complaints by many people nor did they study the well reasoned submission by the group of concerned Penticton citizens given to them several months ago.
The people in the neighbourhood are not opposed to the idea of a rental housing project. They just feel that the height and density in this lot are too much. It is not fair to give other people’s beautiful views to another developer. You would not want someone coming into your neighbourhood and destroying the view out your front window, especially if you were told that no one could build in front of you when you bought the place. Then be told by a councillor that his friend needs a place to live so it is OK. Really? You can still have some affordable rental housing without having such a massive high project.
Allowing the project to go ahead before a traffic study is done is like shutting the barn door after the horse got out. The developer has a vested interest in the outcome of this study so I would not consider it reliable. You don’t need a traffic study. Just look at the history of the traffic problems in front of Parkway School. That is why the road way was changed around the school to try and slow down traffic. There had been safety issues and one child was hit by a car. Others were almost hit. Again, the density of the project is too high and all the cars will be entering Kinney right next to the school.
Take a look for yourself when the children are getting out from school and you will see what I mean. I can tell you from personal experience that when we try to enter Kinney from Cherry Lane Towers, sometime we can’t turn left because of too much traffic and we have to turn right and go by the school. People often go by the school because it is the shortest way to get to the Channel Parkway. To tell you that everyone will turn to the left and not go by the school is nonsense. The group of concerned Penticton citizens has already submitted a traffic study to the council. Did the councillors read it?
In summary, we are not against a rental housing development, just not such a high density, high-rise type. Something like Greystone just down the street from the school would be more appropriate.
Kathy Corbett
Penticton