Large housing project on sensitive Kelowna hillside slated for consideration without public hearing
Under new provincial rules, local governments don’t have to take rezoning applications to public hearings anymore if they conform to community plans and have the support of city staff.
That means, instead of holding a public hearing where anyone can speak up, a 300-unit housing development on an environmentally sensitive side of Dilworth Mountain won’t get that public input, unless city council overrules its staff when it reviews the proposal on Monday, Jan. 17.
Troika Developments, which still lists Kelowna-Mission MLA Renee Merrifield as its CEO, is proposing to develop the 63-hectare site with 300 condos and townhouses.
READ MORE: Hundreds of homes planned for Dilworth Mountain in Kelowna
It overlooks Mill Creek and Enterprise Road and will include the extension of McCurdy Road to connect with Mt. Baldy Drive on Dilworth Mountain.
“The majority of the proposed development area is within ESA3 –Moderate, and ESA2 – High environmentally sensitive areas,” states the report going to city council.
The parts of the property ranked as “very high” for environmental sensitivity will not be developed, except for one part for the road extension.
In compensation, Troika will have to create a wetland and enhance some of the land along Mill Creek, together covering almost 26,000 square feet.
There are also limitations on how much water is available to the site until the city’s Summit Drive reservoir is upgraded in two to five years.
Unlike a four-storey apartment/townhouse rezoning that council pushed through to final adoption earlier this week, staff are recommending final adoption of the Troika application be held until development permits and other protections are in place.
READ MORE: How a 4-storey apartment building can slip unnoticed into your B.C. neighbourhood
Those protections include a Hazardous Condition and Natural Environment Development Permit and a restrictive covenant tying the number of units that can be built to the ability of the water system to provide fire flows.
The new rules mean that, while signs are placed on the property and newspaper ads are run, only property owners within 50 metres of the project need to be notified of the plans by mail. Members of the public can still send letters to the city and/or councillors.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Rob Munro or call 250-808-0143 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.
We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.
