WANTED: Fresh ideas to make Penticton even better

[Static]

Great Post Storm.

[fluffy]

Agree. Penticton has lost a great deal of "curb appeal" over the last few decades.

[French Castanut]

One thing that had me say NO when considering to move to Pen-a-tic-tin was the fact that flats were about 1000$+, and for a city of about 30,000 there was about 10 job posting at minimum wage I was like: There's an eel behind the rock in here.

But overall I would consider it if I was rich and retired.

They have a nice camping groundsite by Walmart' parking lot I have to admit, I had a quiet night and the other campers were friendly that one evening.

In the Summer the beaches are filled with people since it's nestle between two lakes.

What's about creating a dedicated bike path along the channel from one lake to another, with a rest area in the middle?

[sundancer1bc]

The Dedicated Bike Path has been on the west side of the river channel for years. Complete with a rest area , food place and Elvis. Have another look.

[Nooby]

Stormydancer - I guess all I can say to that is, I guess it's all relative to where you're coming from. I've only been here a month and I agree there are some things 'lacking' - but really I haven't been here long enough to make that call. I have to say that I've not experienced anything but great service from every retailer and service I've visited. Compared to Salmon Arm where service in the retail sector (not that there is much of one) is adequate at best, you never 'fit in' unless you've lived there all your life, no growth and no desire to grow, etc. - this is heaven so far. I don't expect it to be perfect - nothing ever is - but we're not going to wait 10 years to make it work like we did in SA - life's too short. You take your chances, and if it doesn't work out, you move on.

[fluffy]

I'll give it that, getting around by bicycle is a snap. The channel bike path, the path along the old KVR right-of-way, Penticton Creek and arterial bike paths along Government St, and Carmi have pretty much got major areas covered.

I'd like to see more mixed residential/commercial development downtown, the "inner city" lifestyle is getting a foothold in that area already.

[stormydancer]

Oh, yes I did bicycle around a lot and enjoyed the path along the lake. That was fantastic. But I have that here already.

I didn't find the rents or housing prices unreasonable though. That is part of the reason my husband wants to move there. Our business is portable & can be done remotely to some extent. Our housing costs here are about $750K for a nice detached SFH. I didn't see housing costs that high there. My guess is that it has the same problem as Kelowna - outsiders/retirees/etc are willing to pay more because their idea of what is reasonable is out of whack the reality of the economy. But then you see a ton of folks adding renters to their basement so obviously they cannot afford those prices.

Salmon Arm is a small town. My guess would be that imports from such cities would not bring in a lot of cash. Those who are in "richer" cities will have trouble finding equivalent jobs. Our city is very rich - it has mtn biking/kayaking/etc right at your door but is is BUSY. Schools/community center/etc are all overcrowded. I was born here when the pop was only 35K so I remember what it was like before it grew to this level. Hence our desire to seek out a quieter lifestyle. I am seriously tired of being told my toddlers need 4 lessons a week to "keep up" and SS & granite are some holy grail to happiness. I suspect smaller communities will not be so superficial and more understanding of what is REALLY important in life. I prefer my children experience that than endless lessons and antiseptic environments.

Phew...sorry for the novel!

[French Castanut]

To me, 175k-200k top is reasonnable. 225k-250k is reasonnable if you have a lakeshore lot in the city.

So going from a 750k down to a 450k may look reasonnable... but it's totally unreasonnable. I guess people got acustomed with the unreasonnable Okanagan housing market lately.

Compare the prices today with 10 years ago...

500k would be reasonnable if the 40$/h jobs were here, and even then... reasonnable is a big word that I'm using with caution here.

Where I'm from, average household income is 90k/year (the highest in quebec), and houses are average 200-250k. Totally reasonnable.

[twobits]

I can't think of many places that are better to raise children than Penticton. Odds that they will remain close when leaving the nest are not as high but really, how often do they in todays labour market dynamics? They do come often for visits though!Rather central to a lot of places they might end up.

[fluffy]

"Reasonable" is a relative term, as is "affordable". The cost of getting into the game has always been substantial, even when decent properties could be had for less than $100K. What we have going on now is regional variances allowing one to sell in one area and buy in another for less money. That's what makes the Okanagan look so attractive to people who have owned in places like Vancouver long enough to have enjoyed the price run-ups of the last decade or two. It's the demand created by those people that is making it so hard for people who have lived locally for years, or come from places where prices are lower and can't get out with the equity needed to buy here. $200K won't find you much outside the trailer park these days, I'd be willing to hazard a guess that entry level is $250K and up.

[French Castanut]

"Reasonable" is a relative term, as is "affordable". The cost of getting into the game has always been substantial, even when decent properties could be had for less than $100K. What we have going on now is regional variances allowing one to sell in one area and buy in another for less money. That's what makes the Okanagan look so attractive to people who have owned in places like Vancouver long enough to have enjoyed the price run-ups of the last decade or two. It's the demand created by those people that is making it so hard for people who have lived locally for years, or come from places where prices are lower and can't get out with the equity needed to buy here. $200K won't find you much outside the trailer park these days, I'd be willing to hazard a guess that entry level is $250K and up.

Well explained

[Thinktank]

Does anyone know why the Tim Hortons downtown closed up?

they weren't making money?

[johnhenry]

Does anyone know why the Tim Hortons downtown closed up?

they weren't making money?

http://forums.castanet.net/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=49045

[nepal]

.
Two-way traffic on lower Main St. would only double traffic density and make it a nasty traffic street. Leave a good thing alone. Keep the one-way!

The concept of two-lanes would be okay, so long as still one-way.
.

[Static]

Get rid of the retirees?