Canadian Horizons is back at Penticton’s council for another crack at developing the Naramata Bench.
The developer’s 2021 proposal for the development, which would have brought in more than 300 homes to Spiller Road, was shot down after public protest and backlash from the Penticton Indian Band and other members of the community.
READ MORE: Penticton council shoots down Canadian Horizons rezoning request
Protesters drove down Main Street to Penticton’s City Hall in Sept. 2020 to protest the development that would eventually be voted down by council in February 2021.
READ MORE: WATCH: Tractors line Main Street in opposition of Naramata Bench development
More than a year later, the new proposal that Canadian Horizons is bringing back has scaled down to almost a third of the original’s size, with 111 parcels instead of 307.
On May 17, city council will have their first look at the new project and decide whether there have been enough changes to send it to the community.
The project will still require zoning and official community plan bylaw amendments from city council before a development permit could be issued.
City staff is recommending the project receive approval from council to go to public engagement before anything further.
“Through the previous application for 300 lots, the public voiced concerns that the development was too dense for the area,” said Audrey Tanguay, the city’s planning and licensing manager. “Should Council direct staff to engage with the community on this proposal, we can explore if the density included in the current proposal is acceptable to the community.”
The new timeline for the project provided in Canadian Horizon’s presentation to council on May 17 sees construction anticipated to be in the fall of 2022 and the first home built in 2023.
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