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West Kelowna  

Lakeview Heights residents push back on city's densification plans

Uproar over densification

The City of West Kelowna’s desire to densify the Lakeview Heights Village Centre is causing an uproar amongst existing residents.

City council on Monday will discuss the rezoning of 911 Anders Road, which would allow the construction of a six-storey mixed-use condo building on a lot currently holding a single-family home.

“All of these people will be looking down over our backyards, into our homes. It's going to be a huge invasion of privacy,” said Susan Neill, a resident of a nearby single-family home, in an interview with Castanet.

Neill said she is also concerned that a previously quiet laneway behind her home would now be used to allow access to a parkade servicing the 43 residential units proposed with the development. Worries about construction impacts on neighbouring properties are also shared by many residents.

In 2023, after three years of public consultation, the city adopted a new Official Community Plan — a 20-year road map for the growth of the city.

That plan calls for densification in neighbourhood centres like Lakeview Heights, which is now designated for buildings of up to six-storeys.

Changes brought in by the provincial government to speed up housing development prohibit public hearings from being held on rezoning proposals where the project fits within a city’s official community plan.

That means the re-zoning application at 911 Anders Road—which proposes to change from R1 single-family residential to NC1 Neighbourhood Centre—will not go to a public hearing.

“The purpose of the NC1 Zone is to accommodate walkable, pedestrian oriented, mixed-use centres with a focus on residential uses with a range of small-scale commercial uses primarily serving the areas in which they are located,” said a planning staff report to council.

Residents like Neill will not get a chance to address council directly about the proposal beyond the letters and emails in opposition that have already been submitted.

Neill, and many others who write to city council, are calling for development on the property to be scaled back in height and unit count.

A petition has been launched by those in opposition and Neill is urging anyone concerned to attend the council meeting on Tuesday afternoon.

The proposal before council is for re-zoning only. The details of the building such as form and character would require separate approval from council through the development permit process.

“The applicant has submitted a conceptual design to demonstrate the feasibility of developing the subject property in compliance with the regulations of the NC1 Zone,” said a planning staff report to council.

“The conceptual design includes a mixed-use development featuring both commercial and residential components and complies with the permitted density and height requirements for the zone.”

West Kelowna planning staff are recommending council approve the rezoning. The city's own Planning Advisory Commission, which examines development proposals before council, did not support the proposal over concerns related to the building height and potential impact on adjacent homes.



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