Over $2-million worth of waterfront improvements proposed in Penticton

PENTICTON – The details surrounding a major waterfront improvement along Lakeshore Drive in Penticton are out as the SS Sicamous Master Plan moves forward.

Consultant Ed Grifone presented the plan to city council, Tuesday, April 7, and the counsellors endorsed the plan with first reading of a bylaw intended to incorporate the plan into the Official Community Plan.

The upgrades surrounding the 100 year old steamship are part of a series of improvements along the Okanagan Lake waterfront. The Okanagan Lake walkway was completed last year and reconstruction of Peach Plaza is currently underway.

The SS Sicamous upgrades are more complex because a number of different stakeholders are involved.

The Waterfront Select Committee hired CTQ, a Kelowna planning and engineering firm, in 2014. They developed four design concepts, and from those, a "preferred concept plan” was born.

Major elements of the master plan include a plaza that will serve as gateway to the area. Connecting walkways include an extension of the Okanagan Lake walkway as well as paths connecting other attractions in the area. The rock jetty beyond the SS Sicamous would be enhanced with a new surface, lighting, possible safety rails and a viewpoint. A small dock capable of accommodating five to seven day moorages slips will be attached to the east side of the jetty.

Plans also call for improvements to the rose garden, an expanded parking lot near Loco Landing, and improvements to the Lakeshore Drive.

An integral connection to the park is expected to come from a Penticton Indian Band native cultural centre.

Viewing decks and a new boardwalk that will serve as an entrance to the SS Sicamous round out the improvements.

Grifone says the improvements would not take place overnight, expecting redevelopment to occur in five or six phases as money is made available. He said timing would depend largely on “how aggressive council wants to be,” noting several possible grants the city could apply for.

Phase A, to take place this year, would produce a detailed design of the area at an estimated $150,000.

In 2016, work would include enhancements to the rock outlook and walkways, at a cost of $1,185,650.

An economic investment zone is being considered for the area in order to encourage private investment along that section of waterfront.

A public hearing for the bylaw will take place on April 20.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Steve Arstad at sarstad@infonews.ca or call 250-488-3065. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.