Photo: City of Kelowna
It took more than three hours of presentations, questions, discussions and debates before the city council rejected a proposal for a new division in the Upper Mission.
Melcor and Canadian Horizons had proposed the construction of 680 houses in the so-called Thomson Flats.
While the applicants’ motion was welcomed to rehabilitate Rembler Creek, provide hiking and walking trails and paths, and establish a second phase of South Perimeter Road, the council maintained its newly adopted policy against new suburb development.
Planning staff recommended against the application for traffic, financial and political reasons.
Many of the Council’s reasons for rejecting the motion were, as some agreed, “the worst congestion that urban drivers have faced”.
While the developer agreed to build only 680 homes, as opposed to the original 1,200 construction, transportation workers said the unplanned units would adversely affect the downstream transportation projects outlined in the newly adopted transportation master plan.
It has been suggested that the Casorso Bridge partnership, which is currently valued at around $ 12 million, could grow to $ 20 million with additional needs.
Staff also believed that extending South Perimeter Road would only benefit residents of this new neighborhood.
The Thomson Flats Project has been envisaged as part of the overall Upper Mission development since the mid-1990s, while specific work has been carried out over the past seven years.
However, since the beginning of this work, the council has changed its philosophy regarding the development of suburbs and hills under the new official community plan.
“We have to give the new OCP a chance,” said Mayor Colin Basran.
The council voted 7-2 to reject the motion. Councilors Brad Sieben and Mohini Singh wanted more traffic information before making a decision.
