84-unit condo development proposed for Peachland

Photo: District of Peachland

Peachland’s municipal council will be taking its first look at a large condo development that could be built next to the community’s elementary school.

Porchlight Developments is seeking to build a four-storey, 84-unit building off Clements Crescent behind the Peachland Centre shopping plaza.

The developer, who is also behind the condo proposal at Todd’s Campground, is requesting the municipality subsidize the down payment for 16 first-time home buyers through a grant system.

The grants would be funded by the community amenity contributions (CACs) required of the developer related to both the Todd’s and Peachland Centre developments, totalling $246,000.

“The grant would cover approximately 75% of the down payment required for the purchase of a unit and the money for the grants would come from the CACs the district has collected from the developer,” the Porchlight proposal says.

Peachland policy collects $1,877 per residential unit from developers. While some cities, like Vancouver, spend their CACs on affordable housing, Peachland’s policy suggests they be spent on public amenities or civic offices and fire halls. But given the current housing crisis, council is being asked to consider the idea.

The tentative unit mix for the project is 17 one-bedrooms, 29 two-bedrooms and 38 three-bedrooms. Proposed sale prices range from $335,000 to $430,000, an underserved segment of the market in Peachland, says the developer.

The development requires rezoning and official community plan amendments. A single-family home parcel is planned at the south end of the property to act as a buffer to the neighbourhood there.

A new road will have to be constructed between the development and Peachland Elementary and upgrades would be made to overall pedestrian safety in the area.

A traffic assessment found no negative impacts on the existing transportation infrastructure in the area, and the traffic engineer anticipates that the increased population will help with the commercial viability of Peachland Centre and increase transit sustainability.

The development property, however, is located within the Trepanier Creek floodplain. Both the one-in-20 year and one-in-200 year flood modelling show inundation at the development site.

According to the Peachland staff report, the developer says that “flood and floodplain analysis has and will be accommodated in the future design by assuring habitable space is clear of risk in water inundation.”

A total of 137 parking stalls would be situated on site and land adjacent to the creek would be protected upon rezoning for a future trail.

Public consultation shows some resistance to the plan with concerns revolving around the size of the project and a desire for dedicated seniors housing.

Tuesday evening, Peachland council will debate sending the proposal to a public hearing.