An official with the City of Penticton has said its decision to erect a barrier at Nanaimo Square in the city’s downtown core is not connected to city council’s controversial 5-2 decision last week to endorse a ban on sitting or lying on some public sidewalks downtown.
Signs attached to the barrier, which surrounds a public fountain at Nanaimo Square, read “licensed patio space — Petrasek Bakery customers only.”
Development services manager Anthony Haddad confirmed on Sunday that the city had installed the barrier prior to the application paperwork being filed by the bakery.
“We had a couple of meetings with the business owner prior to installation and was expecting the application information last week,” he said in an email.
“The intent, like other space downtown, is to activate the space and provide the business with an outdoor seating/eating area.”
People who are experiencing homelessness often congregate at Nanaimo Square, and the site was at the epicentre of a protest on Saturday over the city’s proposed loitering ban on downtown streets during the tourist season.
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However, Haddad maintains that the barrier is not related to a proposed amendment to a city bylaw that would put a ban on sitting or lying on a street located between the 100 and 300 blocks of Ellis Street, the 200 and 400 blocks of Martin Street and the 100 and 700 blocks of Main Street from the beginning of May to the end of September.
“It is not related to the bylaw. We have been allowing outdoor patio space for many years,” he said.
Haddad said city staff will follow up with the business owner this week, and “if they don’t intend on moving ahead, then the railings are easily enough removed.”
He also said the city has received numerous public complaints about poor behaviour at the downtown corner.
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“Bylaw staff have dealt with people bathing in the fountain over recent years and other inappropriate activities in the corner. That is absolutely inappropriate downtown in a public space,” he said.
The commercial building is owned by the son and nephew of Penticton Mayor John Vassilaki, however city communications representative Philip Cooper said the discussions surrounding the licensed patio space at Nanaimo Square were held with the tenant, not the property owners.
The proposed bylaw amendment will be back before council for a final reading on June 4.
Meanwhile, volunteers who host meals for the homeless at Nanaimo Square every Monday night have decided to move locations.
Organizer Kristine Shepherd said people experiencing homelessness are being targeted by the proposed bylaw changes, which could net someone a $100 fine for obstructing a sidewalk.
“They’re specifically targeting one group of people,” Shepherd said last Tuesday.
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