Photo: City of Penticton

City of Penticton looking for input on plans for Esplanade.

The City of Penticton is hoping to get community feedback on the future of the local east end of Okanagan Lake, known as the Esplanade.

“This is the first round of engagement with the community and user groups to understand what they would like to see in this area over the next 20-plus years. Setting a longer-term community vision will guide what kind of amenities we can consider there in the future,” said Steven Collyer, the city’s manager of housing and policy initiatives, in a press release issued Monday.

“The city is currently completing important archaeological and environmental studies in the area. The results of these studies and feedback from the community will help set the direction for the Esplanade Renewal Plan and further discussion about the area with residents.”

There are concept drawings from 2011 available online here but the city notes that the concepts are just meant as a starting point to help the community envision the area's future. Nothing is set in stone.

There will be an on-site workshop, to which all are free to attend:

• Wednesday, May 28 from 4:30 pm to 6:30 p.m.
• Optional staff-led walking tour at 5:00 p.m.

Feedback forms will be available to complete at the workshop, or online here. The comment deadline is June 6.

Following this, a second round of public engagement will take place in the fall, once city staff have had an opportunity to comb through this round of feedback and bring back those findings along with input from technical reports that are currently underway.