Pentictonsa国际传媒檚 housing task force is bringing 18 recommendations to council including removing 3-storey height limits in the downtown and 4-storey building height restrictions on Lakeshore Drive.

sa国际传媒淎s chair of the task force, it has been a privilege to work with such a capable and diverse group of members,sa国际传媒� said chair Nathan Little. sa国际传媒淭he task was difficult as the issues we face are complex and our geography adds another layer of complexity. All of the recommendations made here are designed to meet the housing needs of today and tomorrow. Some of them will challenge perceptions of what Penticton is but we believe this work will set us on a path towards Councilsa国际传媒檚 goal of improved housing across the entire spectrum.sa国际传媒�

The recommendations include:

sa国际传媒� Allowing up to four or six residential units on all currently single- and two-family designated lands

sa国际传媒� In strategic areas, support changing the commercial, tourist commercial, industrial and residential land use designations to the sa国际传媒榤ixed usesa国际传媒� designation

sa国际传媒� Removal of the three-storey height limit in the downtown and four-storey height restriction on Lakeshore Drive

Allow additional high-density residential capacity on large shopping centres by designating them sa国际传媒榤ixed usesa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒� Review parking regulations and shift from parking requirements to parking recommendations, in strategic areas to incentivize housing development and encourage alternative forms of transportation

sa国际传媒� Support the city and staff working with non-profit housing proponents to develop new non-market housing that meets the needs of a range of people, and retains existing non-market housing units (no net loss)

sa国际传媒� The City to develop a sa国际传媒渟ocial housing plansa国际传媒� in the near term to provide strategic direction to determine and achieve a range of non-market housing goals

sa国际传媒� Remove the Spiller Road area as a sa国际传媒榞rowth areasa国际传媒�, and change the future land use designation of Spiller Road to sa国际传媒楻ural Residentialsa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒� Investigate policies and programs to spur new housing development and redevelopment

sa国际传媒淭he OCP-Housing Task Force has done a tremendous job of assessing all the data presented, taking in the input through the community engagement process and providing Council with a thoughtful approach to how we move forward,sa国际传媒� said Blake Laven, the Citysa国际传媒檚 director of development Services.

The task force was established earlier this year to work on amendments to the OCP to address the housing crisis.

The city recently conducted the 2023 Housing Needs Assessment. The assessment showed that between 2016 to 2021, Pentictonsa国际传媒檚 annual growth rate was high at 1.9 per cent. If this trend continues, the city may have around 20,000 additional residents and 9,200 additional households by 2046.

The task forcesa国际传媒檚 recommendations are being presented to council Dec. 12 and staff are asking council direct staff to incorporate the recommendations into the upcoming Official Community Plan amendments.