By Don Urquhart, Times Chronicle
A public hearing on the application to amend Osoyoos’ Official Community Plan (OCP) designation and zoning for a residential development at 7808 Spartan Drive drew an unusual degree of engagement on May 31 and saw Council defer a decision by two weeks.
A motion put forward by Councilor Jim King to give third reading to the amendments was withdrawn after Councilor C.J. Rhodes felt a “sober second thought” was warranted in order to consider the numerous public comments. Mayor Sue McKortoff, who was the lone opposing voice during first and second readings at an earlier council meeting, agreed with Rhodes.
King noted that the postponement was beneficial as Councilor Brian Harvey who was not in attendance would be attending the next meeting. Harvey is a keen supporter of the project. The proposal will be considered for third reading at the next Council meeting on June 14.
The proposal requires an amendment of the OCP to remove it from the ‘Institutional’ category as well as zoning amendments from ‘Institutional’ to CD 13. The development is among the first to test whether the intent of the Town’s new OCP to improve the housing and rental situation in Osoyoos can be effectively implemented.
Included in the sentiment expressed in the OCP is the important recognition of the interconnection between a supply of affordable housing and new job creation.
The location of the proposed development with Elks Golden Village at the rear. Don Urquhart photo
The development proposal by Sterling Pacific Holdings Inc. involves developing a 22-unit housing project consisting of five three-storey townhouses and a four-story 17-unit apartment-style condominium.
Of significance for Osoyoos in terms of the ongoing rental crisis, the developer is committing to 75 per cent of the apartment units (12 units) being rentals for 20 years, with 33 per cent of those units (four units) being “below market” pricing for a minimum of five years.
Restrictive covenants will ensure the rental units will remain as such for at least 20 years. Emphasizing his family’s “well-established roots in Osoyoos having visited it for three generations,” Sterling Pacific Development’s Jamie Harper noted he and his family moved here three years ago. “We are not here for the short term,” he said, adding that their aim is to put Osoyoos residents first.
“Putting Osoyoos first is important to us,” Harper said. “We recognize both the struggle and the benefits that summer season creates on Osoyoos.” Tourism is required for the town to develop but puts stress on housing, he acknowledged.
Again he highlighted his company’s desire to ensure that residents of Osoyoos “have a significant advantage over those that do not reside here and we have agreed to give residents a 60-day advantage whereby they have first option on the homes,” he said.
“To my knowledge, this has never been done in Osoyoos and it should allow those looking for homes a sigh of relief,” Harper said.
Harper also explained the method by which the “below market price” rents are determined. The median household income of Osoyoos from the census, or $52,000 per year of which 80 per cent of that can be spent and then 35 per cent of that should go towards housing which translates to around $1,050 a month.
But he also noted that as with any development there will be those who oppose it for various reasons.
Public interest in the development application has been higher than is typically seen with such applications with 24 local residents attending the developer’s public information meeting held on May 17.
Director of Planning and Development at Town of Osoyoos Gina Mackay said comments received at the meeting were “generally favourable” although she noted there were some concerns about the visual impacts to the property to the rear (west) of the property and “there were quite a few questions as to where parking would be”.
Aside from the information session council received four written submissions and seven individuals appeared in person to express their views. While Bev Jackson wrote in to support what she sees as vital affordable housing, others such as Jerry Albo felt that redesignating land use from institutional (assisted living, churches etc) is “somewhat short-sighted”.
He went on to state that when a previous need for assisted living space arose it was difficult to acquire and saw other properties being redesignated in order to make it happen. “Either the town needs to buy the properties in question once they come on the market, or stop wasting taxpayer money on OCP planning that hasn’t a hope of ever being implemented,” he wrote.
Others who wrote in, such as Elaine Ecker a resident of Elks Golden Village expressed concerns over the density of the development, parking, additional traffic, obstructing the view of the neighbouring properties and the impact on Town services such as water and sewer.
“The proposed development would loom over all the other buildings in the area and block any view others have, both east and west,” Ecker wrote asking what “wonderful view” Elks residents would have of the back of the proposed development.
Brian Hunka on the other hand felt the proposal is “too large relative to the lot size and location.” The height of the apartment-style building, “considering the topography and location . . . would represent a significant departure from previously approved developments by the town over the past number of years.”
Meanwhile, the first to speak in person at the hearing, Tom Levine a resident of Elks Golden Village expressed concerns over traffic congestion, loss of view and natural habitat. He was also critical of the cost of the housing saying it was beyond reach of most people,’ with “the proposed pricing of these units well beyond the affordability of most citizens. It seems to be a case of the rich getting richer while the remainder are locked out,” he added.
And from Ken Granger a 30-year firefighter and safety officer came a dire warning on fire, saying, “that type of building with that many dwellings, apartment fires are very, very common.”
He also questioned whether the water mains in that area would sustain two or three operating fire trucks. However, the Times Chronicle understands that the proposed development has already met provincial requirements as part of the application process. Additional requirements such as more hydrants for instance can be added in later stages of the process.
Supporting the project Diane Trudell emphasized the need for residential properties saying the proposed development is “very a thoughtful and necessary approach.”
She also expressed her full support and noted the concerns of those impacted, but “I can’t think of any better use for that piece of land.” She added that it’s “admirable” that it’s being built with rentals in mind, particularly given the difficulty in hiring staff in Osoyoos.
