Assisted Living coming.

Seniors can expect to see a new 84-unit assisted living facility built in Osoyoos, as council unanimously agreed to approve a development permit for Farouk Shah to build Cactus Ridge Estates.
The proposal first came before the public at an open house in October of last year and went to a public hearing in December. The project, however, has not been without controversy.
Neighbours living near the site of the proposed development, and the Official Community Plan Review Committee, have criticized the scale and location of the project, although there has been no one who did not agree such a facility is needed in Osoyoos.
As a result of the many comments developer Farouk Shah heard from the public, he agreed to a number of suggestions from the community in order to make his project work within the neighbourhood.
But the development permit was only one of three items decided at the February 20 Osoyoos Town Council meeting. First, council had to vote on amending the OCP and the zoning by changing the land use designation of the property from R1 (Low Density Residential) to P1 (Institutional).
Allan Carswell was the sole councillor to vote against allowing the OCP to be amended, on principal, because he believed the process to change the OCP was flawed.
Unfortunately, the mechanism we're using right now is flawed. I think in a case like this, it would be great to take the proposal back to the people and let them have another look at it, Carswell said, in view of the number of significant changes to the project since the public last had a chance to view the proposal.
He added that once a public hearing has been held, council is not allowed to receive any more information.
Because of that fact, council decided to dovetail the fourth reading with the development permit, to prevent the developer from simply getting the amendments and then reselling the property.rnCouncillor Stu Wells explained further that the development permit was tied to the fourth reading to hold the developer to what he said he was going to do, a fact which precludes council from going to the public again.
Mayor Slater pointed out that through the negotiation of the development, a lot of the land use concerns were dealt with.Council voted unanimously to move the process ahead by approving the zoning amendment.
The public now has a list of nine items that have been addressed in the development permit, Slater said.
I think this particular developer is probably one of the best we've seen. He certainly did go out of his way to make changes to his development plans to try and address the issues that were there, Carswell said. He also thanked Development Services' Alain Cunningham and Steve Shannon for working with Shah to resolve a lot of issues.
Councillors Stu Wells and Ted Cronmiller agreed. Cronmiller said many of the items agreed to by Shah will result in great improvements to the town.
I agree the developer has gone out of his way to try and accommodate the changes and make this development something that's really good for the neighbourhood and not something that would be a thorn in the side of everyone, said Cronmiller.
Developer Farouk Shah was at the council meeting and said he was pleased to get the green light for his development.
I am very pleased. I think it has been a long process where we tried to get an amicable solution to the whole development. I really always believed that what was good for the neighbourhood was good for me, and eventually we attained that. Hopefully everybody's happy, said Shah.
Shah said the next steps include finalizing the working drawings and applying for a building permit.
*** F.M. Shah Building Limited has agreed to the following items:rn1) As a follow-up to a public consultation, he agreed to reduce the height of the proposed building from four storeys to three storeys.
2) To provide six metres of road dedication to the town, for the purpose of widening Swan Crescent.
3) To provide the full cost of installing curb, gutter and sidewalk along the Swan Crescent frontage of the subject property.
4) To provide the full cost of installing curb and gutter along the Finch Crescent frontage of the subject property. The town will be responsible for installing the sidewalk in this location.
5) To contribute $8,500 towards the future construction of a sidewalk from the corner of Finch Crescent north to the corner of Eagle Court.
6) To provide the installation of new services, such as water, sanitary sewer and storm water, and remove any services to the property that are found to be unsuitable.
7) Prior to the issuance of a building permit, he will be required to conduct fire flow tests from the adjacent fire hydrants and confirm there is sufficient fire flow. He has also agreed to provide any necessary system upgrades.
8) To provide 50 per cent of the associated costs of lowering the grade of Finch Crescent and realigning the intersection of Finch Crescent with Highway 3.
9) Provide the landscaping and continued maintenance of the small portion of parkland owned by the Town of Osoyoos, located on the corner of Finch and Swan Crescent.