City of Penticton facing legal action over proposed lakefront apartment building

The proposed apartment building at 602 Lakeshore Dr. W. would feature eight units. A one-storey home currently occupies the property.

A legal challenge has been launched against the City of Penticton regarding a controversial and yet-to-be-built apartment building that would overlook Okanagan Lake.

This week, a group called the Penticton Society for Transparent Governance and Responsible Development (PSTGRD) filed the challenge in B.C. Supreme Court, stating the city shouldn’t have allowed the four-storey building on what it called an undersized lot.

According to the city, the apartment building at 602 Lakeshore Dr. W. would feature eight units. A one-storey home currently occupies the property.

B.C. Assessment lists the home value at $1.66 million and included a sale history that says it was sold for $2.1 million on March 10, 2021.

In mid-January, Penticton city council gave the green light to re-develop the property despite concerns from area residents.

The motion was narrowly passed, 4-3. Mayor John Vassilaki, who voted in favour of it, called the Lakeshore area “a neighbourhood in transition.”

In presenting the apartment building to city council, the applicant asked the property to be rezoned from small-lot residential (RM2) to medium density multiple housing (RM3).

Council approved recommendations, along with granting two variances, giving the project the go-ahead.