The B.C. Conservative Party is promising to throw its support behind a private project that would see a new multi-use sports complex built in Penticton.
Leader John Rustad says his party if elected in the upcoming provincial election, would work with the City of Penticton and private investors to bring a "state-of-the-art" recreation facility to the city.
The proposed facility, located at 955 Timmins Street, is set to be called the Peach City Sportsplex. It will be subject to a public hearing during Penticton City Council's meeting on Nov. 5.
鈥淭his project is going to allow kids in our community to have access to sports and recreation year-round, including hundreds who would otherwise not be able to afford to do so," said Amelia Boultbee, local MLA Conservative candidate and first-term Penticton councillor.
Municipal politicians 鈥� minus Boultbee who is on leave due to her provincial election campaign 鈥� voted on Oct. 15, to give the project its first reading and send it to a public hearing.
Proposed zoning at the site includes changing its designation from High-Density Residential to Mixed-Use. A site-specific policy statement of allowing tourists as a permitted use is also included.
The plan calls to transform a warehouse behind Penticton's Canadian Tire into a facility with two indoor ice sheets, a baseball training facility, and eight pickleball courts.
The project's applicants are also planning on operating short-term rentals within the residential units, similar to what developers are hoping to soon build at the site of the El Rancho Motel in Penticton.
Estimated costs associated with the plan are unknown, as it has been presented as a privately funded project.
Although the city has yet to hold a public hearing on the matter, Rustad and the Conservatives say they're ready to support local efforts and help make the project a reality.
The party vowed support for the yet-to-be-approved proposal on Oct. 10, in a press release.
鈥淲e're looking at more than just a sports facility," Rustad said. "We're building a centre of community pride that will create new opportunities for everyone, from young athletes to local businesses."
Penticton city officials say initial plans show 217 parking spaces, 97 bicycle parking spaces, and landscaping along property lines.
Public input related to the plan was accepted until Oct. 2.
According to city staff, a total of 400 feedback forms were submitted, with around 85 per cent of participants sharing support for the zoning changes.
In its election promise, meanwhile, the B.C. Conservatives added that construction on the project would create between 70 and 80 "well-paying jobs over the next two years, with a commitment to hiring only local contractors."
The provincial election is set for Oct. 19.
City council voted unanimously, 5-0, to send the project to a November public hearing.
