Penticton Western News, July 18, 2012

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NEWS PENTICTON WESTERN

www.pentictonwesternnews.com

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Drug-related activities the main reason for school suspensions

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VOL.46 ISSUE 57

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Penticton man on Peach Classic hot streak

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 18, 2012

Lack of accommodation sends sex offender back behind bars

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Country untr tryy st star ar B Bl Blake lake lak ke S She Shelton hellton n entertainment en ntertainment Coun

cancels SOEC performance

ON THE HUNT — Dorian Crutchley (left) prepares to photograph costumed teammate Chelsea McDowell during Sunday’s Peach City Adventure Hunt during the SPCA fundraising event in downtown Penticton. Organizers collected just under $500 for the local shelter.

Mark Brett/Western News

TAX INCENTIVE COMES UNDER FIRE Steve Kidd

Western News Staff

Retirement resorts are on their way to being a permanent part of Penticton’s economic investment zone bylaw, but the amendment is not travelling an easy path. The focus of the debate is Southwood Retirement Resort, a proposed project for the area now occupied by Waterworld RV park off Yorkton. The developer, Eric Hall of Regency Resorts, requested his project be included under the bylaw, which would trigger a $500,000 tax incentive. Earlier this month, Penticton city council voted to support his development permit application. At Monday’s meeting, council gave

three readings to an amendment making retirement resorts a permanent part of the bylaw. Coun. John Vassilaki, who spoke out against the exemption when it was brought up for council’s consideration earlier this month, remained ¿rmly set against it. “I believe we are getting away from the original spirit of the bylaw,” said Vassilaki, who felt the bylaw was intended to support commercial and industrial enterprises. “Now we are starting to allow for a certain type of residential that I don’t think ¿ts.” Vassilaki said there are already many retirement facilities in Penticton and disagreed with calling the Southwood development a resort. “We’ve got at least 12 other such buildings in Penticton. The only thing they are lacking is

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could be a new industry that we can capitalize on.” The proposed amendment to the bylaw de¿nes the term retirement resort as “a facility intended for long-term seniors rental housing with a high degree of amenity and a resort-like atmosphere,” and “having at least 25 per cent amenity space.” Regardless of the amount of space given to amenities, Ron Rose, developer and owner of The Concorde Retirement Home, said that Southwood’s mandate will change to match his. “People age, and when they age, they need care, said Rose. “They don’t stay as a resort, they become care facilities.”

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the word resort at the end of their name. Instead, they call them retirement homes. To me, a resort is you are on the lake somewhere, you can bring your boat, you buy a condo in there and you go out and enjoy yourself on the resort,” said Vassilaki. “You can dress it up and call it anything you want, it’s a retirement home.” Couns. Gary Litke and Helen Konanz represented the opposite point of view. Southwood, they said, was not a residential neighbourhood, but a business and a great opportunity for Penticton. “This is a type of facility that is not available in our community,” said Konanz. Putting retirement resorts in as a permanent amendment to the economic zone bylaw, she said, would invite others to build similar projects here. “This

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