Costco has taken the first hurdle in its controversial relocation effort in Kelowna.
The city council gave a first reading at its meeting on Monday, November 23rd on motions to rededicate and amend the Official Community Plan (OCP) for the controversial move. The motions are now being postponed to an expected public hearing next month.
The new planned location on six acres on the corner of Leckie, Baron and Springfield Streets is only 770 meters from the current location of the Big Box Store on Highways 97 and 33, but allows for a larger building with more parking and a gas bar .
Despite the brief move, urban planning manager Ryan Smith said processing the application was complex in terms of the traffic impact.
“This area, the hourglass in the middle of our city, is a busy area,” he said. “Intersections in this area are approaching or in some cases are busy without Costco.”
Bringing in Costco, Smith said, adds a number of trips down this corridor. Because of this, Costco has agreed to pay around $ 2.5 million for several road improvements in the area. Smith noted, however, that Costco “cannot fund every single improvement in the area” and some of them are due to other developments and the city.
Smith said the development would not detract from downtown city goals. Providing a glimpse of the upcoming OCP 2040, Smith said the city anticipates further densification of the urban area with the goal of 1,100 new units in the area and possibly over 2,000.
“In terms of our hierarchy of urban centers, the inner city is probably the most distant city to become a true urban center,” he said. “That’s another reason we considered this site.
“We don’t think it’s a big compromise … There are a number of other ways to get the density we expected in the region throughout the life of the OCP.”
Smith also noted that in the event that Costco would vacate the site in the future, it would be easy to redevelop for higher density homes.
Notwithstanding the assurances given by the council for Costco-funded road improvements, councilors still reflected the community’s concerns about traffic. Councilors Loyal Wooldridge and Charlie Hodge were reluctant to support the first reading, but wanted the matter to move to a public hearing so the community could do their part.
The public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, December 8th, 4:00 p.m. In order to allow adequate social distancing for the high number of people expected to show up, the city is hoping to give up to 50 people the chance to watch the deliberations from Kelowna’s Community Theater across the street, entering the council chambers, when it’s time to speak.
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Do you have anything to add to this story or anything else we should cover? Email: michael.rodriguez@kelownacapnews.com
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