Penticton city council has given the green light to locate a four-storey, 62-unit social housing complex at 594 and 600 Winnipeg St.
Image Credit: GOOGLE STREET VIEW
September 19, 2018 - 3:30 PM
PENTICTON - An affordable housing project that wasn’t welcome in a Penticton south end neighbourhood has found a new home on Winnipeg Street.
Penticton city council gave the go-ahead to the four-storey, 62-unit social housing complex at 594 and 600 Winnipeg St. yesterday, Sept. 18, at its regular council meeting.
The B.C. Housing congregate housing project was originally destined for the Unity House property and a vacant lot on the corner of Green Avenue and Skaha Lake Road, but neighbourhood opposition to increasing the amount of social housing in the area, in addition to its proximity to schools, torpedoed the plan.
Council was happy with the plan to relocate to Winnipeg Street on two lots currently containing single-family homes.
The building, with 10 more units than what was proposed for Green Avenue, will house people who are homeless or who are at-risk homeless. The dining area, lounge, counselling and medical space in the complex will be shared facilities. The facility will be operated by Ask Wellness, operators of the Fairhaven facility on Skaha Lake Road.
A neighbourhood open house was held Sept. 10, in which a mixed response was received, council heard. The chief concerns involved parking, the number of units proposed, concern as to what might occur if provincial funding dried up, and security of property near the complex.
Council was unanimous in accepting a staff recommendation to issue a development permit for the project.
An artist's rendition of a four-storey, 62-unit social housing complex proposed for 594 and 600 Winnipeg St.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/City of Penticton
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