Peachland
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John Walker Knowing Peachland Does Make A Difference...
June 18, 2010
250-470-9205
Peachland, BC Volume 06 | Number 24
johnmwalker@shaw.ca
KELOWN A
photo Joanne Layh
Paraglider Paul Bunten makes a soft landing in Cousins Park.
MOTI grants conditional approval for third access and more lights By Joanne Layh The mood was warm and relaxed between Ponderosa developer, Treegroup, and the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI), with the announcement that MOTI has granted conditional approval for a third access from Highway 97 to Ponderosa, as well as numerous road upgrades in Peachland, including additional sets of lights. The announcement came at the June 16 reconvened public hearing held again at the Peachland Community Centre. The public hearing began on May 26, but had to be adjourned until a later date, pending approval of a third access. A third access to Highway 97 from the development site is a key requirement from the District of Peachland and without it the commitment between the District and the developer had been stalled. “They’ve been very diligent since we last met, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, they’ve been very cooperative and they’ve been very focused and what we’ve been able to come forward with I think is something that will be of benefit to Peachland for many, many decades to come,
” Keith Funk of New Town Planning said. Council will give the zoning and official community plan bylaws relating to the Ponderosa/Pincushion development a third reading on June 22, which, if carried, will stand as a serious commitment between the District of Peachland and Treegroup. From there, weeks and probably months of negotiations will take place between the parties before the bylaws are finally adopted. Two phases of proposed road upgrades were also presented at the public meeting, set to take place by 2015 and 2020, respectively. Road upgrades for phase 1 include: • Princeton/Highway 97 – left turn phase added and light timing change; • Development access – traffic signal light; • Ponderosa/13th Street – consolidated access, traffic signal light, and localized 4-lane for turns; • Clements/Highway 97 – protected ‘T’ intersection with left turn merge to Hwy 97; and • Highway 97 – widen to 4 lanes 200m West of Ponderosa to 300 m East of Clements.
Road upgrades for phase 2 include: • Princeton/Highway 97 – southbound right turn lane 50m, eastbound left turn signal phase and eastbound left lane of 200 m; • Development access – 4-lane Highway 97 300m both ways; • Ponderosa/13th Street – increase signal timing; and • Clements/Highway 97 – traffic signal light. In an interview following the public hearing, the View asked Okanagan Shuswap district manager for MOTI, Murray Tekano, if the approval to increase Highway 97 in Peachland to 4 lanes in some areas might be indicative of a greater plan for the highway in Peachland. “These lanes are just there to accommodate the volume,” Tekano said. “If you look at the phasing, the way it’s proposed, you’ll understand that. The Ponderosa to Clements section, for example, is to allow for the traffic to be able to queue at signals and perform properly and efficiently leaving those signals. It’s got nothing to do with four-laning in that regard.”
Peachland Johnston Meier
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