No decision on hotel site

Photo: Deborah Pfeiffer

Penticton council has not yet reached an agreement on what to do about the old Three Gables Hotel site on Main Street.

Staff's suggestion to formalize a parking lot at the location, led to a lengthy discussion by council this week, with the end decision being to defer it to the next meeting.

The current proposal by staff includes cleaning up the area and finishing it with an appropriate top coating, individually delineated parking spaces, an irrigated landscape area, benches and lighting.

The Downtown Penticton Association has also worked with the landowner on the matter. Kerri Milton, executive director of the DPA, told council at the meeting they are looking at the opportunity to have the whole area cleaned up because it has been a bit of a problem area.

Counc. Judy Sentes said that she has spoken with business owners on the matter and is aware of their anguish over the condition of the site for the last 16 years.

She stated she gets the impression this is not their first choice and see it as their only option to clean it up.

Her biggest fear being it will never be anything other than a parking lot, which she finds unfortunate.

She proposed putting a time frame on the permit, saying she would ultimately like to see something better than a parking lot.

Counc. Campbell Watt stressed it goes against everything they want the downtown, while Counc. Tarik Sayeed described the proposal as appalling.

Mayor Andrew Jakubeit reminded council there are many parking lots in the city where they have relaxed the mandates.

Council previously looked at the matter in August. It was  referred back to staff for the developer to work with the Downtown Penticton Association to make sure loitering and aesthetics at the site were dealt with.

The subject property is currently vacant, and has been since the Three Gables Hotel burned down in 2000.

Since that time, the site has been used informally for parking. The lot though has never been properly graded and developed into parking and features a rocky and uneven surface.

In 2009, the Downtown Penticton Association installed mulch ground cover and picnic tables at the site fronting Main Street.

Currently, vagrants tend to congregate at the location. There is also a small community garden, planted by Incredible Edible, a movement to encourage more people to grow food for themselves and the community at large.

It was deferred to the Dec. 7 council meeting to give staff more time to look at a temporary use permit.