On January 14, 2021 the Gellatly Bay Goats Peak Community Association sent an email to the City of West Kelowna’s Mayor & Council in response to the archived webcast Jan 12, 2021 Council Meetings – West Kelowna, BC (swagit.com) , item 8.2.3
Dear Mayor Milsom, Councillor de Jong, Councillor Findlater, Councillor Friesen, Councillor Johnston, Councillor Zanon, and Councillor Zilkie,
We are writing this letter to express our support and appreciation for your discussion and decision to postpone consideration of the proposed lounge endorsement and special events liquor license for the Crown and Thieves Winery; item 8.2.3 at the Council Meeting of January 12, 2021.
As a Community Association, we are extremely concerned to learn, at this late point, that there is consideration for access to this new winery via two extremely narrow, steep, dark, residential roads – Angus Road and Harding Road. If you do not have doubts about the suitability of these roads please drive them, both in the daylight and in the dark.
We believe that Council received only 2 resident letters regarding this proposal because the community was unaware of such a plan. Throughout construction all access has been off of Old Okanagan Highway and the owners have consistently assured neighbours that when opened the access would be off of Brown Road.
We wonder why the full access plan was not submitted at the time of initial planning and before the building was even permitted? We also wonder why there has been no communication to local residents of the potential access via Harding/Angus? In the event any type of business is planning to operate with access via residential-only streets much more public input should be sought and required.
As a Community Association we strongly recommend that:
- NO ACCESS to this location should be provided via Harding – not for staff, not for visitors, not for deliveries, etc. Access should be off of Old Okanagan Highway or Brown Road which we understand the owner is able to accommodate.
- The address is reviewed and adjusted from Harding Road to Brown Road or Old Okanagan Highway to ensure no misdirects via Harding from google maps, etc.
Should the above recommendations not be carried out then a lounge or events permit is simply too dangerous and we encourage the Council to reject this license request. The use of Harding/Angus would be an enormous liability for the City and extremely disruptive to an already overly seasonally populated residential neighbourhood. Sending people who have been wine tasting or attending an event with alcohol down steep, narrow residential roads that have no sidewalks, no lighting, no “extra” space and ultimately empty on to Gellatly Road, our busiest recreational area, where parents with children are parking and people are walking and cycling is a recipe for disaster.
Like many members of council, we believe that this facility has the potential to be an exciting addition to the community. As citizens of West Kelowna, we rely on our Mayor and Councillors to be the gatekeepers of appropriate development and safety for our community. We truly appreciate the members of the West Kelowna City Council who recognized these challenges and spoke up to find a better solution!
Sincerely,
The Gellatly Bay Goats Peak Community Association
gellatlybaycommunity@gmail.com | www.gellatlybaycommunity.com
Gellatly Bay Goats Peak Community Association 