-Plan calls for marina to be located next to Lions Park-
OSOYOOS TIMES-December 24, 2008-
By Karen KnelsenrnOsoyoos Times
The Town of Osoyoos has entered into an agreement with the developers of the Watermark Beach Resort project to potentially develop a marina on Crown land neighbouring Lions Park.
It's a joint venture between the Town and Watermark, said Osoyoos Mayor Stu Wells.
The parties are in the process of applying to the province to use the land.
The plan is to build a fully developed marina, complete with a dock and boat slips.
The Town will retain half of the slips, Wells said, adding that they will be for public use.
He said the Town and the developers are currently engaged in a loose co-development arrangement and while he said they are not 50/50 partners, he wouldn't go into further detail on the agreement.
Wells did say the launch ramps and parking would remain public, ensuring access to the marina for residents of Osoyoos and not just hotel guests.
This is not the first time the Town has tried to turn the site into a marina.
Wells said the Town advertised a request for proposals to establish a marina at the site about six years or eight years ago.
Harry Heyduck, a resident of Osoyoos, was the only person to answer that request.
In a Dec. 22 phone interview, Heyduck said the Town's request for proposals at the time asked for too much grandeur.
I put in a proposal to negotiate with them, he said. It was rejected. I don't think they even acknowledged it.rnWells said that was before his time and pointed out that the draft waterfront master plan includes a developed marina.
He also said that if the use of the land is approved by the provincial Integrated Land Management Bureau, a path system could potentially be developed in conjunction with the marina, connecting it to Lions Park and even all the way along the lakefront to the bridge.
But it will be a while before any of these plans are put into action.
Right now, the application has gone through Service Canada in Kamloops, and is being looked at for status and referrals from several different branches of vested interest, said Al Hare, a land officer with the bureau.
Hare said divisions of Transport Canada, the provincial Environment Ministry, First Nations interests, and the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen will all have to provide their input on the matter before a decision will be made.
Then, Hare will look at the property along with the Town and the developers.
Hare said the bureau tries to complete the whole process in 120 days or less, but it can take longer than that.
Every application is kind of site-specific, he said.
Wells said the whole process is fully open to the public, and that Town will also be looking for community feedback.
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