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South Okanagan Photos

Council Briefs – Town of Osoyoos

OSOYOOS COUNCIL BRIEFS

No room for park petition on AGM agenda

Dustin Stephens had hoped to present a petition to the Osoyoos Annual General Meeting this afternoon, asking council to reconsider its decision not to support a referendum on the proposed national park reserve in the South Okanagan.

Stephens, a board member of the South Okanagan Similkameen Protection Society, had to be content with handing the 400-name petition to Mayor Sue McKortoff before the start of the regular council meeting.

The AGM included a time for public questions, but only on topics covered in the town’s annual report.

Meanwhile, the AGM proceeded as usual, with reports from members of council and department heads on the various successes achieved over the course of the last 12 months.

Dividend Ridge neighbours fear duplex invasion

Several residents of Dividend Ridge expressed concerns at a public hearing today over a proposed duplex subdivision at the top of the hillside neighborhood immediately south of the Osoyoos Golf Club.

The proposal calls for eight duplexes and three single-family homes on the on so-called “remainder parcels” at the south foot of Sawgrass Drive.

Residents from the neighbourhood told the public hearing they are concerned about:

  • Changes in the character of the area from what has been a predominantly single-family-home development;
  • Depreciation of property values brought about by the introduction of higher-density housing;
  • Higher traffic volumes both during and after construction; and
  • Degradation of the design covenants that prevailed when Dividend Ridge was first developed.

There to assuage at least some of the concerns was project engineer Dave Cullen, who said the new subdivision would be “high-end duplexes,” which may have a higher per-square-foot value than the single-family homes on the hill.

The zoning amendment bylaw will next go before council for third reading.

Lots too steep for multi-family housing

A three-lot parcel of land on Nighthawk Drive, which had been designated for high-density housing, will likely be developed as single-family homes because of the topographic challenges of the land.

The lots are very steeply graded and the parking stalls required for a multi-family building would be all but impossible to accommodate, according to a report from planning director Gina MacKay.

“Due to these challenges, an easier option for development of the parcels is to rezone to allow for single-family homes,” said the report.

Council agreed, voting first and second readings to the zoning amendments.