Vehicles like this pickup truck have to negotiate a narrow, twisty laneway from Eagle Court, dodging parked transport trucks, watching for traffic in all directions while driving across crosswalks. (Richard McGuire photo)

Despite concerns by speakers at a public hearing last week that two new businesses will make worse an already messy parking situation at Gateway Plaza, council voted to move forward anyway.

The Sept. 17 hearing was limited to a zoning amendment bylaw that would allow a drive-through oil change and carwash facility at the entrance to the plaza.

But speakers also expressed concerns about additional access and parking problems that would be caused by the addition of a drive-through KFC restaurant proposed by the same developer.

Because the KFC is a permitted use under existing zoning, it simply requires a development permit that can be issued by administration without the need for a public hearing.

Gateway Plaza is more commonly identified by the name of its anchor store, Buy-Low Foods.

Leading the charge was former Osoyoos councillor Michael Ryan, who believes council’s minds were already made up before the hearing.

“I was disappointed,” said Ryan. “I thought that they should have studied the concerns.”

He added that council was required to hold the hearing, but “they had (already) decided that they were in favour of it.”

Also expressing objections was Jacob de Raadt, a retired civil engineer who spent much of his career dealing with traffic engineering matters.

He pointed to what he saw as serious design flaws with existing access to the plaza, affecting traffic circulation and parking layout – flaws that would be exacerbated by the new businesses.

Osoyoos resident Roger Taylor also sent a written submission but didn’t speak. He said he supports adding these new businesses, but he also had concern about increased traffic and problems of egress from the plaza, particularly to go south on Highway 97.

Acknowledging that traffic issues concerning highways 97 and 3 are the responsibility of the province, Taylor suggested that the town and developer should use concerns about increased traffic flow to seek changes from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI).

“I wish to suggest that the increased vehicular traffic to the square, which will most certainly follow this project, provides an opportunity for the town and for the project developer to jointly approach (MOTI) to recommend changes to the intersection of Highway 97 and Eagle Court,” Taylor wrote.

Currently people wishing to turn south onto Highway 97 from Eagle Court can’t do so and instead go through residential streets on Heron and 74th Avenue to reach Highway 97, where left turns are permitted, he said. This becomes a safety issue, he added.

Taylor also pointed to the narrow and curving access to the plaza from Eagle Court, “which is sometimes blocked by delivery trucks.”

“The wriggling of vehicles through this narrow and poorly designed route should be addressed now, especially in light of the increased traffic the new business will bring,” Taylor said.

De Raadt agreed with this concern, which is made worse by the “right-in, right-out” access from Highway 3 at the other end of this twisting access road. Traffic from the 7-Eleven and Petro-Canada also uses this access road.

Ryan noted that drivers leaving the mall will often avoid the line-up at the stop sign to exit onto Eagle Court and instead will use the “right-out” onto Highway 3, sometimes making illegal left turns to avoid having to circle through town to get back onto the highway.

The overall design flaws of the plaza, however, as well as the impact of the KFC, weren’t the focus of the hearing.

Rather, it was intended to hear comments on a bylaw that would create an exception for the oil change and car wash business to operate, even though such businesses can’t operate in shopping centre commercial zones under current zoning bylaws.

Currently, these businesses can only be located in highway commercial zones. Car washes are permitted in downtown commercial zones, but not on Main Street.

The bylaw creates a “site-specific” exception for this business, which the town’s planning staff believes would be in an appropriate location.

“Staff recommends approval as the proposed rezoning will enable a new business to be established in the town gateway entrance, providing service to both residents and the travelling public,” said Gina MacKay, director of planning and development, in a report to council.

“The business will also be established in a vacant unused portion of the commercial plaza,” MacKay added.

The applicant, developer Hart Buckendahl, acknowledged the access problems raised in Taylor’s letter, but said they’re a separate issue from what’s proposed for the car wash and quick lube business.

“I get as frustrated as everybody else having to drive around like (he’s) talking about in that letter,” he admitted, adding that line-ups at lube businesses are normally short, so shouldn’t interfere with traffic.

Drivers tend to drive away and come back another time if the wait is longer than three vehicles, Buckendahl said.

“Our design allows for a lot more than three cars to play it safe,” he added.

He also said the design takes into consideration the need of the dollar store to have trucks come in the back. If problems do arise, it’s possible to reconfigure the lane to have trucks drive straight through and exit behind Interior Savings, he added.

Addressing a question from Councillor Carol Youngberg, Buckendahl said there will be enough room for cars waiting for an oil change or car wash to leave the line if drivers change their minds and don’t want to wait.

Responding to another question from Youngberg, MacKay said the ideal time to address the issues of turns onto Highway 97 would be when Osoyoos reviews its Official Community Plan next year.

Former councillor Ryan argues the flow of traffic will be made worse and said this is exacerbated by the lack of designated RV parking and by the practice by some people of backing into parking spaces rather than going nose-first.

“It’s going to be much more complicated and chaotic,” Ryan said in an interview following the hearing.

“The location of the development just inside the Highway 3 mall entrance will also present a hazard for pedestrians and wheelchair users who may be travelling on the sidewalk,” he said. “Pedestrian and wheelchair users should not have to ‘dodge’ cars exiting the proposed development.”

Ryan also pointed to the added pollution from cars idling while waiting for oil changes or car washes.

Even with both new businesses added, the requirement for number of parking spaces at the plaza will still be met.

Buckendahl acknowledged that many parking spots on the west side are now taken up by people from Mariposa Gardens.

“We have never lodged a complaint, being good community citizens,” he said. “We’re not putting them out or having them towed away.”

Nonetheless, if those people don’t park there, those parking spaces would be vacant, he added.

Adoption of the bylaw is expected to await approval of the development permit.

RICHARD McGUIRE

Osoyoos Times

To get back to Highway 97, many vehicles make an illegal left turn onto Highway 3 west. This driver apparently through it was legal if she didn’t signal and drove across Highway 3 into the Red Apple lot, did a U-Turn and then turned right onto Highway 3 west. (Richard McGuire photo)

With no designed RV parking, this motorhome takes up four parking spaces. (Richard McGuire photo)