Parking spaces are at a premium in the summer months at Vernon’s Paddlewheel Park, and city council is weighing overflow options to address the issue.
The popular beach area off Okanagan Landing Road is routinely over-packed with vehicles during busy times of the year, according to a memo to council from transportation technician Dwight Wright.
City council will review options for short, medium and long-term solutions at its next regular meeting Monday, April 12.
Council started investigating overflow parking options at Paddlewheel in September 2020. A review of those efforts was presented at council’s March 25 meeting.
The proposed short-term (2021) solution is to add up to five on-street parking stalls along the 7700 block of Okanagan Landing Road by adjusting the road markings in the late spring to early summer.
In the medium term, city administration is looking into options for shared public parking on private properties in the area, and will report their findings around that idea at a future meeting.
In the long term, an extensive overhaul of the parking area could eventually be developed.
“An extensive overall review and revision of access, circulation and parking in Paddlewheel Park is warranted,” the memo states, though planning for such an undertaking is on hold until an agreement between the city and the Okanagan Landing and District Community Association is revised and renewed.
“We are seeking a longer-term agreement (roughly 25 years) to provide certainty before investing significant additional time and money on the park,” the memo states.
Lots at 7295 Okanagan Landing Road and 2525 Lakeshore Road are in the early stages of a development proposal, “which will likely generate its own demand for on-street parking with future commercial and residential development.”
Staff have been tasked to report back to council in the fall of 2021 with a progress report on the medium and long-term options for addressing the parking issues.
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