Kelowna to get more than 240 acres of parkland as part of final phase of McKinley Beach project

Photo: Contributed

Developers of the large McKinley Beach development are getting ready to close the book on the project.

WSP Canada, working on behalf of the developers Kinnikinnik Developments, are asking that remaining lands around the project be rezoned to allow for some future development. In exchange, they would provide 246 acres of land to be dedicated to the city as parkland.

City planner Dean Strachan says the land outside the CD-18 zone which encompasses the development, were designated as urban future growth, but were never designated for development.

"This application is proposing to have those lands designated for development, with the proposal because of council's policy around not expanding rural development, to not allocate any additional density," says Strachan.

"Instead of developing the density they have approval for within the lands they have now, they would expand the lands they can utilize the density on."

In essence, he says the developer would agree to scale down density in areas already approved and add that density to the remaining land.

In its application, which was received by the city last week, the developer states the proposed 246 acre park "would represent the second largest municipal park in the city, and would be larger than a few of the regional parks within the city."

The main body of the park would border onto the McKinley Reservoir.

Strachan adds the the new park would connect to Stephens Coyote Ridge Regional park.