Timmins project traffic nightmare
Re: “Have your say on proposed Timmins Street development,” (Herald, July 27).
During the dog days of summer, with raging forest fires and increased COVID numbers, another developer is putting through a request for a change in the Official Community Plan of 955 Timmins Street from industrial to multi-family residential.
If you are unsure of where this property is located, it’s the large blue building behind Canadian Tire and adjacent to Okanagan College on the south side and King’s Park soccer fields to the north.
This property has been zoned industrial for approximately 40 years and has coexisted with the neighbourhood for all this time and is currently home to several businesses.
In 2018, the developer proposed that this property be developed into student dormitories and a few townhomes. The concept of student dormitories adjacent to Okanagan Collage had merit and would have served the needs of college students and could have been an acceptable change to the neighbourhood.
This same developer has returned to the table with a request for a development almost three times the density. Timmins Street is a small crescent-shaped street with limited access from Conklin and Scott Avenues and on to Moosejaw Street.
This new proposal is for two five-storey apartment buildings of 148 units and 81 multi-storey townhomes which would be 229 units. Most households nowadays have more than one vehicle, therefore a potential for more than 300 additional vehicles per day on the roads of this residential area and much used King’s Park soccer fields.
With only 6.64 acres on which to place 229 units, there isn’t much room for adequate parking and there is very limited street parking on Timmins.
In addition to parking concerns on the city website, there is no mention of how the city will be able to service these many units in such a small area with adequate sewer, water, electricity and garbage disposal.
While I am not adverse to development in the city, this proposal has way too many units planned for such a small property and is located on an isolated street with limited access.
WRITE:
Email: letters@pentictonherald.ca Mail: Penticton Herald letters, 101-186 Nanaimo Ave. W., Penticton, B.C., V2A 1N4
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