Council passes housing development as staff assures SD73 is aware of impacts

Development moves ahead

Photo: City of Kamloops

A rezoning application for a future housing development in Pineview Valley is off to a public hearing after Kamloops city council gave unanimous approval at its regular meeting on Tuesday.

Council approved the first two readings of a zoning and official community plan amendment bylaws for a 180-unit housing development planned to rise just south of the site of the future Sníne elementary school, which is presently under constriction.

The subject property is located on the west side of the new extension of Copperhead Drive to connect to Aberdeen Drive in the Pineview neighbourhood, immediately south of the future school.

Prior to the vote, Coun. Stephen Karpuk asked if School District 73 had been informed about this development as a potential addition to the new school’s catchment area at a time when SD73 has them in flux.

“Do we let them know? Do they give us any feedback?” Karpuk asked.

Marvin Kwiatkowski, the city’s development, engineering and sustainability director, said the city is in “continual discussions” with the school district about population growth around the city, and has been for years.

Copper Peak Developments Inc. is looking to rezone part of the property from future development zoning to multi-unit medium density zoning.

The property is 18.9-hectares in size, but the zoning change would apply to just 5.66 hectares, to enable the development of a proposed 60-unit apartment and 120 townhouses, a city staff report stated.