No objections to town’s fourth pot store
The fourth active cannabis retail proposal for Osoyoos breezed through a public hearing Monday with no objections from the public.
The store is planned for an empty storefront in the Lakeview Plaza near City Furniture and the Red Apple.
Council approved third reading for the proposal from Budzilla Cannabis Inc., which will now seek so-called “fit and proper” approval from the province.
There is one cannabis outlet active in the town, on Main Street, just west of JoJo’s Café, and two others – at Gateway Plaza and in the old Osoyoos Signs building across from the recycle depot – are still in the provincial approval stage.
Public input portion completed in OCP review
Work continues apace on the $150,000 update to the Osoyoos Official Community Plan (OCP), with a 200-page progress report presented Monday to council by town planning staff and their consulting firm.
Daylin Mantyka and Brittany Tuttle from of Urban Systems outlined the work so far, which began in September gathering community input through an online survey, a dozen community engagement activities, three stakeholder workshops and large reporting back session.
Community participants offered input on myriad subjects, including: what is the best thing about living in Osoyoos; is more economic growth needed; what should be the town’s housing priorities; how is the retail landscape in the town; what would they change about Osoyoos; should there be better medical services; and lots more.
The consultants and the planning staff will continue sifting through the responses and bring more refined reports to council over the next few months. The process will lead eventually to a new OCP, which serves as a foundational document for growth and development of the town over the next decade or more.
OCPs are required by provincial legislation and are usually renewed every 10 years or so. The current Osoyoos plan was created in 2007.
Waterfront steering committee will continue
A proposal from town staff to disband the Waterfront Steering Committee was rejected by council after one of its members said there are still items on its plate.
A report from the corporate services department said that based on the 10-year-old terms of reference, “there are no pending issues for the committee to consider at this time.”
The report added that the public member of the committee, Terry Underwood, saw no further value in his continuing as a member.
However, Councillor CJ Rhodes, the town council representative on the committee, pointed out that the town’s wharf project – slated for the Giro Beach area – remains active even though it is currently hung up in legal issues around jurisdiction over the lake front.
The rest of council agreed with Rhodes and voted to retain the committee but hold off on making appointments to it until there is actually something for it to do.