More traffic issues.

Traffic issues were the main focus of an open house held in Osoyoos last Thursday evening.
Developer Ron Bartsch and traffic consultant Dave Cullen, of CTQ Consultants (who was hired by Bartsch to do a traffic study) were at the open house to answer questions about the development and to discuss specifically the details of a traffic impact assessment.
Bartsch's condo development could see 212 new units built on a large empty lot adjacent to Peanut Pond. The lot is situated off Main Street, near the Econo Lodge Motel and the Lakeview Plaza. The area nearby is also home to Adobe Sands, a townhouse complex consisting of 20 units along Vedettte Drive.
Bartsch is proposing three four-storey condos, with underground parking, golf greens and a raised boardwalk along Peanut Pond, and said he is hoping to start building later this fall.
There was a good turnout at the open house, with representation from the Town of Osoyoos, realtors, the project's architects and marketing person, and a number of residents from Adobe Sands.
Cullen was kept busy addressing the concerns and questions of a number of residents who wanted to know how and why all the access in and out of the development would be along Vedette Drive.
Cullen tried to downplay the traffic impacts, referring to a traffic impact assessment he had done, but many at the open house questioned some of his assumptions, such as his belief that more owners would be walking to nearby shopping rather than driving.
Our analysis determined that putting all the traffic on Vedette would be the best solution. The Ministry of Highways was involved in the traffic study and their position is that there would be no difficulty in increased traffic, Cullen said.
He explained that the only option presented to the developer by the Ministry of Highways was to use Vedette Drive.
The Ministry of Highways has an access management plan to reduce access points on the highway. The fact that Highway 3 is also Osoyoos' Main Street makes it a complicated issue. The ministry has stated they will only allow emergency access from Main Street.
Cullen said his traffic projection was based on how many trips are generated from different types of developments, and he added that since this development would be targeted towards buyers 55+, he didn't foresee the same volume of traffic that would be generated by working families.
I don't have any concerns about the volume or capacity of the traffic. The increase would be marginal. It has been estimated that at peak hours, being 4:30 in the afternoon, there would on average be one car entering and one car exiting per minute, Cullen said.
But Vedette Drive resident Caroline Staple said she had great safety and access concerns.
I have no problems with the development per se; my concern is that the only access in and out of this development is along Vedette, and I question Mr. Cullen's opinion that the traffic increase would be minimal, Staple said.
She wanted to know who would pay for any improvements to Vedette in order to accommodate the traffic from the development, and how the residents of the existing townhouses would deal with their own parking issues.
Osoyoos Now Secretary-Treasurer Robin Gubby agreed that some traffic issues need to be worked out, but said overall that he was pleased with the look of the development.
I think it's a good use of the property, and it conforms to the Official Community Plan. And being close to downtown and to two shopping plazas is also a positive. But I also feel it does need to be more pedestrian-friendly as regards to the access to the highway, Gubby said.
Developer Ron Bartsch said he has been working with the ministry and the town and admitted it has been a difficult issue.
The Department of Highways has access concerns, the Town of Osoyoos has different concerns, and the residents have their concerns. I am prepared to live with everything we are asked to do, said Bartsch.
Town of Osoyoos Assistant Planner Steve Shannon said he was pleased with the turnout at the open house.
There was certainly a constant flow of people at the open house, and a lot of them had understandable concerns, said Shannon.
What happens next will depend on the comment sheets that come back from the public, and it will be up to Town Planner Alain Cunningham to determine the next step.rnShannon added he was disappointed to see that the three options reported in the traffic study were not presented to the public. The only option shown was the entrance and exit from Vedette Drive, with Main Street as an emergency entrance/exit only.
Shannon noted the other two options were a possible right in and right out on Main Street, and a four-legged intersection at Eagle Court.
We have to review this because it is a major concern to have that much traffic bottlenecked in that one area. We'll be meeting with the developer and a decision will likely be coming soon, Shannon said.