Penticton resort plans new tower
15-storey waterfront highrise featuring 54 luxury units would be tallest in city
The community has had its first look at the Penticton Lakeside Resort’s plan to build what could be the city’s tallest highrise.
About 100 people came to see what the proposed 15-storey waterfront condominium tower will look like at an open house Thursday in the resort’s ballroom.
“This is going to be a world-class building that Penticton can really be proud of,” said Lakeside general manager David Prystay.
The project is designed by two locally owned companies, HDR CEI Architects and Greyback Construction, he added.
HDR CEI architect Rob Cesnik said the new tower will go on the east side of the property, between the parkade and the new convention centre, with 54 units available for purchase.
While the highrise will be 15 storeys, because it sits partially on the parkade, it will actually be 18 storeys.
Penthouses are going on the fifth, 10th and 15th floors, and will be more than 3,000 square feet.
The other floors will offer larger, luxurystyle one- and two-bedroom condos.
The condos will be privately owned and won’t be involved in a hotel rental pool, said Prystay.
Parking will be located under the convention centre.
Cesnik said his group will be going to the city to ask for the regulatory 1.25 stalls per unit.
Lack of parking is top of mind for many who live in the area.
“I love the look of it and you can’t beat the view. I live across the street, so my only concern is parking,” said Dennis Huot, who attended Thursday’s open house.
Traffic is going to be an issue, said Kevin Ritcey, a 33-year resident who also lives across the street.
“Lakeside already put in a 73-room addition with no additional parking. How are they going to accommodate all these people?” Ritcey asked.
Ritcey also questioned how it will be built given that the area is on a flood plain.
Cesnik, who was involved in the Lakeside’s west wing expansion, said piling will take place. But, similar to the west wing, they will use a combination of mass timber and concrete.
“The soil is not that great here, but this hybrid system of mass timber and concrete works,” he said.
Lisa Wells came out to see what the condos will look like. “It looks fantastic,” she said. She shared a common concern at the open house, whether the buyers will be seasonal owners or permanent residents of Penticton.
Several members of city council, including Mayor Andrew Jakubeit, also attended.
The Lakeside’s management asked those in attendance to fill out a comment sheet. That data will be taken to city council, where the resort will seek a minor amendment to the Official Community Plan and rezoning.
“We want to make sure we do things right, so there is still a lot of things to be done. All in all, I see this being a three-year project,” said Prystay.
Since 1999, the Lakeside Resort has continually upgraded the property. Recently, it converted the former casino space into a waterview conference centre.
“Then we redid every room in the hotel. Overall, we have spent around $80 million in this town,” said Prystay.