The Mt. Boucherie trails in West Kelowna could become a residential development after Tuesday night's public council meeting.
(STAFF / iNFOnews.ca)
February 28, 2017 - 3:32 PM
WEST KELOWNA - A public hearing tonight will try to sway city councillors that a network of trails in West Kelowna should not be turned into a housing development.
The Mount Boucherie trails, as they are known, are located on private land in West Kelowna.
Kelowna-based developer Victor Projects owns the land and has set it aside for the final phases of the Vineyard Estates neighbourhood development on the southern slope of Mt. Boucherie. The final three phases of the development require 36 hectares of land on the southeastern side of Mt. Boucherie.
At tonight's, Feb. 28, public council meeting the developer is requesting the rezoning of the property from rural residential large parcel, to single detached residential zone, parks and open space and duplex. Roughly 200 homes are to be built.
Residents in the area have expressed their opposition to the project, saying it will be taking away valuable green space.
As of this afternoon, 600 people had signed a petition to save the trail network, saying it is the last of its kind in the Lakeview Heights neighbourhood.
“(The trails have) become a vital part of maintaining an urban balance between development and unobstructed green space for all to use,” says the petition. “Any development that does not preserve the Mount Boucherie Trails would negatively impact all users of the trails today and any future residents that may move into the area.”
The public hearing will be held tonight at 6:00 p.m. in the City of West Kelowna council chambers at 2760 Cameron Road.
— This story was corrected at 2:49 p.m., Thursday, March 2, 2017 to say there would be a decision made regarding the property.
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