Long-term plans that would see the site of an A&W restaurant redeveloped were approved by Penticton council, following a public hearing on April 16.
In the short term, though, the fast-food joint looks like it will soon neighbour a new three-storey development.
City council voted 6-1 in favour of a project that includes the construction of a four-unit, mixed-use development at 76 Duncan Avenue, which is located next to an A&W. Coun. James Miller was opposed.
Its approval also paved the way for developers to one day turn the site of the restaurant, located at 1402 Main Street, into another mixed-use development.
The owners of the property wrote in a letter to the city that the building is currently an A&W restaurant and will “continue to remain as such in the foreseeable future.”
Its plans also call for the restaurant’s drive-thru to be moved about five metres to the east, city staff said. That move would allow for more cars in the drive-thru queue.
Concerns over the drive-thru being too close to the 76 Duncan Avenue development were submitted to the city earlier this year, during a public engagement.
Nearby residents also spoke out during a public hearing on April 16, about the drive-thru shift and the potential impacts it could have on pollution.
Other concerns raised were related to parking, traffic and the design of the building, which was described as “awkward” during the public hearing.
“People might get caught up in the look and the design of the building, but that will be addressed in the development permit stages,” Sherri Turpin, the architect retained by the land owner, said to council.
The new three-storey development on Duncan Avenue would feature commercial space on the first floor and four residential units on top. A total of 13 parking spaces are included in the plan.
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