Penticton council to decide next steps for controversial development on Spiller Road

A controversial development proposal for Spiller Road in Penticton will come before city council next week.

Penticton city council will be asked at its meeting Tuesday, Feb. 16, to give first reading to rezoning and Official Community Plan bylaws to allow the controversial housing development on Spiller Road, known as Vinterea, to move forward. City staff are also asking for a green light to begin public and stakeholder engagement.

Canadian Horizons is proposing a residential subdivision of more than 300 single-family homes on 51 hectares of land located at 1050 Spiller Rd. in Penticton's northeast.

The proposal has its share of opponents, including local residents who believe the character of the Naramata Bench will be negatively affected, and the Penticton Indian Band, who say the development is taking place on land that is important to them from a social and cultural standpoint.

A staff report prepared for council notes 22 of the development's 51 ha will be designated as park, trails or retained as natural areas. The development would be accessed by a new collector road intersecting with Naramata Road and tying into Spiller Road.

Staff say the development generally conforms to the city's Official Community Plan, but would need an amendment to remove areas deemed “ground oriented residential.”

A rezoning would also be required to introduce urban residential zoning and park and recreational uses to the property.

The area is currently zoned country residential housing and mobile home park housing.

The area has been identified for development since the 1980s and earlier. A technical review of the proposal identified 12 recommendations for consideration in accepting the proposal, including such things as landfill buffering, traffic, parks and trails, servicing, environmental protection, sensitive hillside development, geotechnical concerns, storm water management, agricultural buffering and other items.

A financial analysis of the project shows a net positive financial benefit to Penticton, the report to council also noted.

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