Peachland council questions heights, densities of new developments

Photo: District of Peachland

One of two development proposals discussed by Peachland council on Tuesday.

Qualms about building heights and densities in the Princeton Avenue area made for lengthy debates at Peachland council’s regular meeting on Tuesday.

A pair of rezoning applications in the Princeton Avenue area that looked ordinary at first glance took some time to sort out before being advanced on Tuesday.

First and second readings were given to an application for a pair of properties between Princess Street and Highway 97, where a 52-unit townhome project is proposed.

Council also approved third reading for a small property near Turner Park. The plan is to combine the property with larger neighbouring property to build a 38-unit housing development.

Coun. Rick Ingram was in the devil’s advocate role on both matters. He objected to a recommendation that council give three readings to the Princess-Highway 97 rezoning.

“The only real opportunity for council to ask any questions ... is in between second and third reading,” he said, asking that third reading be delayed.

Once council gives third reading, final adoption is still required, but the debating is considered over.

“I don’t know what we accomplish by doing just first and second, versus third, on this one unless you think there’s a whole lot more information you need,” responded Coun. David Collins, reflecting the other point of view.

Ingram wanted assurances building heights wouldn’t affect neighbours’ views, which prompted Mayor Patrick Van Minsel to successfully propose the developer come back in two weeks with a “height plan” before third reading is granted.

Ingram wasn’t the only councillor to have objections. Coun. Terry Condon questioned plans for the developer to pay the municipality in cash instead of building a park.

Administrator Joe Creron responded the money would go into a fund to buy a bigger, better park in the future.

“We do have some plans that we’ll be discussing with council in the near future about buying some parkland and we’ll take the cash in lieu to buy those things,” said Creron. “Sometimes people have these little pocket parks that really don’t add anything to the neighbourhood, but if you take that money and you buy a piece of property, a large piece, you can build a decent park.”

“I hate to tell you, but that strategy hasn’t worked in 25 years for Peachland,” Condon responded.

Access to the development would be off Princess Street. The developer would make improvements to that street, council heard. One property is vacant and the other has a house on it. Combined, they are 0.87 hectares in size.

An objection from Ingram also complicated the rezoning near Turner Park. The councillor said he supported rezoning the 0.34-hectare lot, but he was against an accompanying official community plan amendment.

The OCP change would open the door to a greater density being sought in the future if this proposal didn’t proceed, he said.

Other councillors said Ingram was dealing in “what ifs” and that a future proposal could be turned down.

Coun. Alena Glasman didn’t like the preliminary drawings for the site.

“We see these wonderful lines of sea-can boxes or ticky-tocky boxes or whatever you want to call them,” she said of the plans. “The last thing that we want is a huge eyesore at the top of the hill, that everyone has to go by before they go to this beautiful park that we’ve spent so many thousands of dollars on to build. I want it clarified this, what we see right here, is not what we’re getting. No thanks.”

More detailed plans will come later, she was assured.

In an earlier meeting, Ingram had also proposed a Princeton area-wide zoning amendment to limit building heights and densities.

Council on Tuesday agreed any applications that request the currently allowed higher-density zoning will be deferred until an OCP review next year can consider Ingram’s idea.