Riverside hotel proposal gets council OK

By ROY WOOD

Following a lengthy and lively public hearing Tuesday evening, Oliver council voted unanimously to pave the way for an 80-room hotel on the site of the Centennial RV Park.

Close to 200 people filled a meeting hall at the Oliver Community Centre, and for two hours about 40 of them took turns at the microphone to express their views for and against the plan.

At issue is a proposal from a Kamloops-based developer to build an 80-room, four-storey hotel on the town-owned site currently leased by the Centennial. The two-acre parcel the hotel would occupy is north of Fairview Road along the west side of the Okanagan River.

The developer has agreed to buy the property for $572,000 in cash and improvements. He will receive $330,000 in tax exemptions over 10 years.

Kicking off the public hearing on Tuesday was Tony Munday, a board member of the Oliver Tourism Association, which earlier sent council a letter in support of the project.

One of the key things missing in Oliver’s tourism accommodation mix, he said, is a mid-service hotel, which the Centennial project will provide.

There are any number of events that attract visitors to Oliver, he said, including Mount Baldy, Area 27, wine tours, golf courses, great hiking and much more. “But we have a tendency to fill Osoyoos hotel rooms.”

The theme of losing out on the tourism dollars that currently flow to Osoyoos and Penticton was echoed by several business owners and one “sports mom.”

Lee Mounsey said she and her kids are involved in all sorts of sports events that would attract visitors if only Oliver had a hotel. “The trees (at Centennial Park) will come back. We need a mid-level hotel here,” she said.

Oliver resident and retired town manager Tom Szalay told the hearing developing a hotel near the town centre would be a major step toward revitalizing the downtown core, which has been a goal of councils for decades.

“If we have a developer who wants to (help) diversify the downtown, we should welcome him with open arms,” he said.

Lynn Friesen told the hearing that a hotel development would be a boon to downtown retailers, which the RV park is not. “Having an RV park that close to downtown doesn’t make an sense,” she said. “It’s just too valuable.”

For the most part, those who spoke against the proposal said they favour a hotel for the town, just not on the Centennial site.

The arguments against the proposal centred on the loss of green space and the unsightliness of a hotel compared to the rural charm of an RV park.

Several opponents of the plan took the opportunity to advise the developer that he would be better off building his hotel on Main Street and warning him that the Centennial site in on a flood plain.

Sharon Handcock asked, “Who digs up a beautiful RV park to put in cement and pavement?” she asked. There must be other properties available for a hotel, she said.

Bill Greer quoted Joni Mitchell in his plea not to “(pave) paradise and put up a parking lot, with a pink hotel, a boutique and a swinging hot spot.”

In the end, opponents couldn’t muster arguments to match the promise of economic development, tourism dollars and downtown revitalization that appear to come with the hotel.

At the council meeting following the hearing, council members discussed how they each had reached a decision in favour of the hotel proposal.

Councillor Mo Doerr said: “As a small business owner we need to have growth to survive. … This developer picked this location. … If we say no, it will be a long time” until another proposal come along.

Councillor Larry Schwartzenberger said he has heard from many people on both sides of the issue. “One person said I’d be selling my soul (if I vote in favour).”

“Since 2002 this property has always been designated for a higher and better use … We need to move forward.”

Councillor Jack Bennest said he is not overly interested in the taxes that will be collected from the hotel. “I’m interested in the fact that the hotel will make the town better. … We have to make this decision and move beyond it.”

Bennest pointed out that with the designation of the southern 80-foot wide strip for a park, all four corners around the Fairview Road bridge will be designated for public use for the first time ever.

Councillor Petra Veintimilla said she sees both sides of the issue and is sympathetic to the notion of preserving green space, “(But) I also strongly feel that the positive aspects of having a hotel outweigh the downside.”

Mayor Ron Hovanes said council members are elected “to listen and to make quality decisions for the broader community.”

The Official Community Plan and zoning changes required for the proposal to go ahead passed third reading unanimously.
The developer, Ron Mundi of Kelowna said recently that he will begin building as soon as he receives a building permit. That could mean an opening in early summer 2018.