Tired of construction noise? New Kelowna bylaw designed to help
With all the new construction happening in Kelowna, it’s only natural some residents worry about possible structural damage it’s causing to their homes.
“Staff receive several complaints per month from residents experiencing disruptive vibrations or noise emanating from nearby construction sites to their homes,” stated a staff report going to Kelowna city council on Monday, July 10.
“Most complaints arise from construction projects occurring within residential areas of the city where heavy equipment and occasional blasting from grading activities create discernible vibrations and noise.”
That was certainly the case in 2021 when neighbours next to the new Costco site complained about vibrations to their condos and opposed a portable rock crusher being installed. Council approved the three-month crushing program.
READ MORE: Neighbours oppose more than rock crushing at site of future Kelowna Costco
Now city staff want Kelowna to join places like Vancouver and Toronto in regulating vibration and noise on new construction sites.
“The proposed bylaw amendments would not require permits to be submitted for every construction project in the city; however, it would allow staff to intervene into situations where vibrations and noise are causing disruption to a neighbourhood or anticipated to create disruptions,” the report said.
A permit would only be required if the consulting engineer for the project said it could be disruptive to neighbours. The construction companies will be responsible for monitoring their own sites.
“There is a possibility a location’s vibration measurements may never be reviewed but if there is a problem with a neighbouring site the company would be required to produce its data to show the project’s vibration levels,” the report said.
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It also pointed out that even though a resident feels a vibration that doesn’t mean damage is being done.
“There is a significant difference between a noticeable shake and vibrations causing structural damage,” the report said. “A condo tower resident could feel vibrations on the tenth floor of their building, but this may not mean there is a problem. The average person will feel a vibration at around 0.1 mm/sec – however, for a vibration to cause structural damage, it needs to be at 8 mm/sec, about 80 times higher.”
If the work is expected to exceed acceptable vibration levels, then smaller equipment or manual labour may be needed to reduce the impact.
The most crucial times for vibration monitoring are during the demolition, excavation and drilling stages, the report said.
“The implementation of this bylaw amendment will be focused primarily on developer/contractor education,” the report said. "Permits allow staff to intervene if construction activities contribute to excess noise and vibration to adjacent properties.”
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