All clear to redevelop Bogner’s restaurant
Bogner’s fate has been sealed — again — by the slimmest of margins.
City council voted 4-3 on Tuesday night to terminate a 46-year-old land use contract on the property that would have effectively delayed by 16 months a plan to redevelop the former restaurant site with a three-storey office building.
The move will become official once the B.C. Transportation Ministry signs off.
All such land use contracts in B.C. are due to be terminated automatically on June 30, 2024, but the proponents behind the Bogner’s redevelopment requested the restriction be lifted immediately to allow them to get on with construction.
Council’s split decision followed a 90-minute public hearing at which sentiment leaned strongly in favour of preserving the Tudorstyle house at 302 Eckhardt Ave. W. that dates back to 1915 but is not included on the local heritage registry.
Speaking in support of killing the land use contract early, Coun. Campbell Watt suggested doing otherwise would only delay the inevitable.
“It actually makes sense, other than potentially taking away some heritage value,” said Watt.
Another supporter, Mayor Julius Bloomfield, noted the building could be demolished anytime before June 2024, and that if the city did retroactively put it on the heritage registry, taxpayers would probably have to buy the property as compensation for diminished value.
“These are all factors we have to take into consideration,” said Bloomfield, who described the matter as “by far and away the most challenging decision I’ve seen this council have to make since it was inaugurated” last fall.
City politicians in December issued a development variance permit for the project.
Councillors were told at the time by city staff the land use contract on the property, which required the site be operated as a restaurant and the building’s unique architectural style be maintained, was superseded by the underlying zoning that permits an office building.
It turns out staff was wrong, which is why the matter was placed back in front of council this week.
The opposing votes were cast by Couns. Amelia Boultbee, Ryan Graham and James Miller.
Boultbee acknowledged heightened public interest in the matter and urged colleagues to defer a decision to allow staff time to gather information about the Bogner’s building and come up with a rough estimate of what it would cost to acquire the site and make it safe.
“There has to be a reason why we do these public hearings. It can’t just be that we’re slaves to zoning. The fact that the public has the chance to come out, has the chance to write to us, that we come out to hold a public hearing, that has to mean something. It can’t be the case that we have absolutely no choice but to follow the zoning here,” said Boultbee.
“I think the public has spoken out that they at least want to know what that cost would look like.”
Miller expressed concern about an office building going into a residential area.
“If we’re going to lose it,” said Miller, “I’d prefer we lose it to 12, 14, 16 housing units.”
However, the property’s new owner said the site is not a good fit for housing because it skirts busy Eckhardt Avenue West and the evidence is seen on the bumper-scarred metal fence in front of it.
“It’s a commercial access point into our downtown and it’s a busy road. I would suggest to you that (if you have) ideas, romantic ideas that this should be a residential development, I don’t think you’ve looked at this property as we have,” said Debra Moore, owner of RE/MAX Penticton Realty.
Moore also said talks about redevelopment had been underway for at least a year with city staff and that there’s little left of the Tudor-style house to preserve anyway.
“If you saw it today, empty of Bogner’s restaurant, there is nothing to save. It is full of asbestos…. and while it sounds wonderful and we do want to preserve our heritage, this is not a heritage-designated property,” said Moore.