Photo: Darren Handschuh

An open house at the Vernon recreation complex is gathering information on a proposed development on the Commonage area.

The North Okanagan Naturalist Club is protesting a massive proposed development for the Commonage Area of Vernon.

The group says they want to protect the area, which is what the developer said he is doing.

Kerkhoff Develop-Build is proposing to build a master-planned community on part of its 421-hectare (1,040 acre) property known as the 580 Commonage, seven minutes from downtown Vernon.

Company CEO Leonard Kerkhoff said there will be “potentially” up to 2,000 attainable homes.

“Under the Vernon Housing Action Plain attainable is defined as 25 per cent below the same price for an equivalent home in the City of Vernon,” Kerkhoff said during an open house Wednesday, held to gather input from the public.

Kerkhoff said the project would build approximately 200 homes a year.

At the open house were members of the North Okanagan Naturalists Club, who are opposed to the project.

Eric Kowalski, NONC vice-president, was helping to hand out flyers at the event explaining the environmental concerns about the area and the massive project.

“Basically, this is a classic sprawl development,” Kowalski said. “They are proposing a massive development several kilometres from downtown in a currently undeveloped area. We think it is unfortunate in this day and age we are even considering a sprawl development.”

Kowalski said the project is proposed on land that is “really highly sensitive,” adding a city study pointed out the environmental sensitivity of the area.

Kowalski said most of the North Okanagan is at risk because of development, especially sprawl development like the Rise and the Outback which feature hundreds of homes between them.

“It's bad planning. Sprawl costs – there are environmental costs, social costs and definitely long-term fiscal costs. The cost of replacing and maintaining that infrastructure is hugely expensive,” he said.

Kerkhoff refutes that it is urban sprawl, noting it is within city limits and environmental concerns will be at the fore front of the project.

“Their line is 'Save the Commonage.' I feel that's what we're doing,” Kerkhoff said. “We are proposing to dedicate and preserve two thirds of the site potentially even more than that.

“There's protected grasses, there's endangered species and working around that and dedicating [the land] in perpetuity. So I think our vision is aligned. Right now, it is not protected land, it is private land and we are proposing to preserve two thirds of the site.”

Kowalski suggested other land could be used for housing, but Kerkhoff said there is no other land in the city boundaries that would accommodate such a project.

Kerhoff said other parcels of land are too steep to build on, while “vast majority of flat land” is in the Agricultural Land Reserve, which the proposed Commonage site is not.

“From my perspective it is not urban sprawl. It's within the city limits and it is easily serviced with water and sewer and storm – it's all readily available.”

The open house goes until 8 p.m. tonight at the Vernon recreation complex.

For the next two weeks, people can also add their comments and concerns on the company website.