THANK YOU FOR COMING TO OUR OPEN HOUSE!

June 14, 2024

THANK YOU to all who came out to our 2nd Annual OUR PEACHLAND OPEN HOUSE & BBQ on June 12! Wow, what a turnout! We counted just over 600 people and we can’t thank you enough for the great ideas and support. A big SHOUT OUT to our regional partners:

• RDCO Waste Reduction
• RDCO Regional Parks
• RDCO Dog Control
• Regional Emergency Program
• Community Policing/Peachland Citizens Patrol
• Okanagan Waterwise/Make Water Work
• WildSafe BC
• Okanagan Regional Library

and community groups:

• 50+ Activity Centre
• Okanagan Boys & Girls Club
• OUR SPACE
• Peachland Ambassadorial Society
• Peachland Chamber of Commerce
• Peachland Elementary School & Parent Advisory Council
• Peachland Food Bank
• Peachland Historical Society
• Peachland Senior Citizens' Housing Society
• Peachland Seniors' Support Society
• Peachland Watershed Protection Alliance
• Peachland Fall Fair
• Peachland Wellness Centre

for the fantastic information displays.

BIG CHEERS to our volunteer cooks, the Peachland Lions Club and the Peachland Rotary Club. We’ll see you all next year!

Highlights of the Mayor's Address

Peachland, B.C. – Mayor Patrick Van Minsel provided the Mayor’s Address at the annual OUR PEACHLAND Open House and BBQ, June 12 at the Peachland Community Centre, highlighting the successes achieved in the past year and the challenges the community continues to face.

If you missed the event, Mayor Van Minsel shared the following successes:

• Under pressure from residents with opinions on both sides of the argument, Council finally took action on something the community has been arguing about for decades – the heights of buildings on Beach Avenue. In 2023, a new zone CR3, restricts heights to three storeys and encourages active and vibrant frontages. Council worked together to reach a consensus.

• Strategic Priority – Fiscal Responsibility

* Hired a dedicated grants coordinator to focus on grant research.
* Renegotiated a deal with BC Housing for Phase II of the Peachland Seniors’ Support Society’s affordable housing project on 5th Street, ensuring Peachland would not bear the costs of the Development Cost Charges (DCCs) for this project, saving taxpayers an estimated $1.3 million. Included in the new deal is a parking management plan.
* Hired a consultant to expand our DCCs to encompass new categories for community improvements because of development.
* Passed this year’s budget with a 7.74% increase for the average home in Peachland. This includes 1.3% into a reserve to ensure responsible management of public assets. With some parcel taxes being removed due to completed projects, the net impact is a 1.17 % increase for the average home.

• Strategic Priority – Vibrant Downtown

* This September, Council anticipates receiving the recommendations of the new Downtown Revitalization and Implementation Strategy Task Force whose dedicated volunteers have been meeting since January. The Task Force will develop a realistic “how-to” document to help support future growth in the downtown A presentation to Council is expected in September.
* With the completion of the District’s Active Transportation Network Plan, staff will actively pursue grants to connect our downtown with other areas of the and into the world-class regional cycling network in the Okanagan.

• Strategic Priority – Infrastructure Improvements

* Grant funding has ensured the completion of Phase 1 of Turner Park Improvements for the baseball diamond area and new sports field grading and seeding.
* Peachland Elementary students participated in a Dotmocracy to select their favourite playground design. The playground will be installed in Turner park this year along with a shaded picnic area, upgraded washroom, accessible trail and improved parking.
* The District secured additional property for the new Protective Services Building, or Fire Hall. The new building may include BC Ambulance Service, RCMP and Community Policing. The District has engaged with a project management and architectural firm to develop conceptual building design options.
* With a grant through the Strategic Priorities Fund, the Sanitary Sewer Master Plan development has begun and a draft is expected this December. The plan will inform the District how to best expand the sewer system to connect the most homes for the least amount of money.
* Sanderson Dog Park is now fenced into two sections, one for high-energy dogs and one for low-energy dogs.
* Peachland’s Accessibility Advisory Committee is developing a meaningful plan to recognize and reduce barriers to accessibility for all in Peachland.
* Completed a water supply analysis, an update to the last major water master plan in 2015, which included new meter information, development build-out numbers and climate data. The analysis tells us Peachland’s water supply is adequate until 2060 or 2070.

• Strategic Priority – Good Governance

* Hosted first and second annual OUR PEACHLAND Open House to keep the community informed. Also created a monthly newsletter mailed directly to every Peachland property and encouraging residents to subscribe for enotification at www.peachland.ca/subscribe.
* To meet its goal to become environmental stewards and improve our community’s resiliency to climate change, Council established the Peachland Climate Sustainability and Resiliency Task Force this year to advise on a Climate Sustainability and Resiliency plan for Council’s consideration.

• Strategic Priority – Increase Housing Choice

* Peachland, like all BC municipalities, is busy updating its Zoning Bylaw to comply with Bill 44 and the Province’s sweeping new planning legislation. By the end of this month, all BC municipalities must amend their zoning bylaws to allow up to four units on all serviced residential lots currently zoned for single-detached or duplex dwellings. Approximately 1,013 lots in Peachland are impacted.

• What’s Coming Up?

* Council will consider new ways to secure funding for improved infrastructure in Peachland. Avenues to be explored include partnerships with private organizations, ask more from development when creating new communities or changing existing ones and develop a property acquisition and disposition strategy, possibly selling higher-value District-owned land and using the proceeds to improve the community in other ways.
* Council will continue to lobby the Provincial and Federal governments for funding support and join with other Central Okanagan communities and organizations to seek solutions for mutual challenges.

Council always welcomes your feedback. Provide comments and suggestions to Mayor and Council at council@peachland.ca.