by John Arendt
The agreement needed for a multi-storey development on Wharton Street has not yet been signed.
Municipal planner Ian McIntosh said the signatures on the agreement are expected soon, but it would still take some time afterward before work could begin on the project.
After an agreement is reached, the developers will need a development permit and a building permit before the construction can begin.
The development permit must first go through the design committee and then to council to ensure it meets the requirements.
“As long as it meets the guidelines, it will be issued,” McIntosh said.
The building permit does not go through council but is handled through the municipality’s Development Services department.
McIntosh estimates the time involved in getting the development permit and the building permit would be two to three months.
In spring when conceptual drawings of the project were presented at a public open house, the developers had said they wanted to begin construction by August.
The first five-storey building in the development plan would have an area of more than 6,000 square metres, with commercial and professional spaces and residential units.
Commercial units under consideration include a bank, a small restaurant, a retail store and a professional service.
The second building would accommodate the museum and the library, which are both in buildings too small for their present needs.
The Summerland branch of the Okanagan Regional Library has an area of 316 square metres, or 48 per cent of the size needed to adequately serve Summerland’s present population.
The library was built in 1981 and since 2003, the Okanagan Regional Library board has been working to find a new location for the library.
The museum, which opened in 1983, covers 372 square metres.