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A contentious proposal that would see 50 temporary homes built in Penticton’s industrial area failed to cross the finish line. Following a lengthy discussion, Penticton City Council on Tuesday delayed issuing a temporary-use permit to allow for the construction of the BC Housing-managed project at 616 Okanagan Ave. East (Dartmouth Dog Park) for people experiencing homelessness. Couns. Campbell Watt, Jason Reynen, Shannon Stewart and Ryan Graham were joined by Penticton Mayor Julius Bloomfield in opting to postpone consideration of the project until Dec. 2, after a public information session. Coun. Isaac Gilbert was opposed. The delay comes as the community continues to contend with a large encampment of unhoused individuals off Highway 97. In a presentation to municipal politicians on Nov. 4, city staff warned that voting to postpone could jeopardize all provincial funding for the project, a concern echoed by Bloomfield but rejected by Watt. “I’m certainly skeptical of needing to appease the province before our community,” Watt said, referring to concerns shared by residents via letters to council and a petition signed by more than 1,400 people. “As much as I don’t appreciate being held captive to the province and their demands, I’m not here to represent them. I’m here to represent our community.” The proposal came to light on Oct. 24, when B.C.’s Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs said the province was working with the City of Penticton in securing the industrial site as the place for the “tiny homes.” Set to be funded through the provincial government and managed by a to-be-determined non-profit group selected by BC Housing, the project received both support and opposition from members of the public. While a community petition asking for a delay on the decision garnered wide-spread support, the Penticton Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Penticton Business Improvement Association and several non-profit advocacy groups threw their support behind building the temporary homes at the site. Watt said in his 11 years as a local councillor, he’d never received so much input on a proposal. “Our community deserves to be heard on both sides,” he added, while voicing support for having a public information session before council makes its final decision. Bloomfield also acknowledged voices on both sides, calling the subject “very, very contentious.” Blake Laven, the city’s general manager of development services, said the project will provide transitional housing over a three-period for people living at Fairview encampment. The land proposed for the project, currently used as a dog park, will remain zoned as industrial moving forward and owned by the city, he noted. Laven said city officials pondered more than 60 other sites for the project, including on Penticton Indian Band Land and provincial-owned land, but deemed 616 Okanagan Ave. East as suitable. If approved, intake for the homes would begin in the spring. As part of the plan, the managing group of the site will provide daily meals, 24-7 staff support, employment assistance and help accessing permanent housing. A fully-fenced perimeter, gated access, lighting and security cameras are also expected to be included. “Is this site the right site? Probably not,” Bloomfield said. “It’s the only site that we have to work with right now. Would we move it to a better site when one becomes available? Absolutely.” Some councillors also used Tuesday’s discussion to voice their frustrations with the B.C. government over the Fairview encampment, which is on land owned by the province. The B.C. government served the encampment an eviction notice on June 16, after then-Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon said the province was sending additional resources to the community. Dozens of individuals, however, can still be seen residing at the site four months later. “We went from 60 individuals on that land to four or five,” Graham said. “Now it’s blown up yet again. What is going on with that? How did it go from an area that was cleaned up and individuals were housed to now it’s blown up, probably bigger than what it was before, and they’re adding amenities like lighting and washrooms (at the encampment).” “It’s almost like they’re inviting the culture to come there and stay there.” Fencing was installed by the province around the encampment in June, after an industrial-sized bin was delivered to assist with clean-up efforts at the site. It is currently unknown when the city will hold its public information session about the temporary homes proposal ahead of Dec. 2. The staff’s presentation and council’s ensuing debate on the proposal lasted nearly two hours on Tuesday.
