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Martin Street in Penticton could be home to new, 5-storey development

The building would feature a total of 18 residential units and just as many parking spaces
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Penticton council could elect on Tuesday to send a proposed five-storey Martin Street development to a future public engagement period. (Photo-Courtesy of Penticton’s city council agenda for Feb. 7)

A proposed five-storey development on Penticton’s Martin Street will look to clear its first hurdle with city council next week.

Local politicians will have to decide on Feb. 7, whether to direct staff to commence public engagement for an 18-residential-unit project on 674 and 686 Martin Street.

The development would feature 1,180 square feet of commercial space on the ground level, with a common amenity area on the fifth floor and residential units in between.

Currently, the properties in question consist of two single-family homes constructed in the 1900s and 1940s, respectively.

In order for the new, five-storey project to move ahead, though, the land designation must be amended from “urban residential” to “downtown mixed-use.”

There is a similar development located just north of the property, a four-storey mixed-use building at 650 Martin Street.

A total of 18 parking spaces are included in the proposal, along with several additional bicycle stalls. Proposed construction is directly in front of the city’s lake-to-lake bike lane, on the east side of Martin Street and north of Eckhardt Avenue.

Endorsing the project on Tuesday will not equate to council’s full support of the development’s construction, according to city staff. Rather, it will indicate council’s desire to engage with the public beforehand, they added.

Staff would lead all community engagement efforts for a period of one month, from February to March, through online surveys, mailing notices to nearby residents and information sessions.

Council’s regular meeting kicks off at 1 p.m., this Tuesday.

READ MORE: Penticton wants province to match municipal funding efforts for affordable housing


@lgllockhart
logan.lockhart@pentictonwesternnews.com