Lots of work in West Kelowna neighbourhood for just a few homes
Anyone driving out of West Kelowna towards Penticton or the Okanagan Connector can see signs of a major construction project next to the highway.
Roads are being built and sewer lines dug over the 110-hectare Goats Peak subdivision site that will, initially, lead to the development of only 30 or so single-family and duplex lots, Brent Magnan, planning manager for the City of West Kelowna told iNFOnews.ca.
“There’s a lot more going on there than the actual size of the development because they’re going to be laying all the servicing for all the phases,” he said.
The site is east of Highway 97 just before the Glenrosa exit and stretches down the hillside to the Gellatly Nut Farm with Goats Peak Regional Park on its south side.
While the first phase is only 30 or so lots, the entire project is expected to include as many as 933 homes for about 2,000 residents over the coming years, along with some commercial and industrial sites.
The massive amount of upfront work – with its accompanying cost – is because water lines have come from the Powers Creek Water Treatment Plant uphill from the site while storm and sanitary sewer lines run downhill.
All the main lines have to be put in before construction starts on the homes. The only road that will be fully finished will be at the higher elevation entrance where the first homes are planned, Magnan said.
The Concept Development Plan, originally adopted in 2017, was put on hold in 2018 as a protest over the provincial speculation tax but was revived in the fall of 2020.
READ MORE: Goat's Peak developer says spec tax has stopped his West Kelowna housing project
The plan calls for only 45% of the lands to be developed with 61 ha left for parks and natural areas that will be preserved and managed.
Some of the existing trails through the site will be relocated but the plan is to have a network of trails connecting all areas of the development.
“Some portions of the site are in areas that will be filled and where soil will be moved from one area to another,” the plan says. “The intent is to reconstruct the land to emulate a natural condition and to emphasize rolling terrain and varied grades, similar to what is found naturally in the area. The design will provide opportunities for natural water flow, rain gardens and dry stream beds to capture water run-off when it occurs.”
Magnan could not talk about when construction of the first homes would start or when the whole project will be completed.
That’s up to the developer who did not return phone calls from iNFOnews.ca.
The concept development plan can be seen here.
READ MORE: Massive West Kelowna housing development moving ahead despite vow against NDP
Goats Peak is one of two major developments of mostly single-family homes underway in West Kelowna.
Work on the Smith Creek subdivision is also underway, although nowhere near as visible to the travelling public.
It will have about 900 mostly single-family homes over almost 64 ha north of the existing Smith Creek subdivision and west of the Shannon Lake West subdivision.
The Smith Creek Concept Development Plan can be seen here.
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