City of Kelowna's April public hearing: North End Plan endorsement

Another month, another public hearing for the City of Kelowna.

There are only two items on the agenda for the April 8 public hearing.

That includes a motion to support an application to the Agriculture Land Commission (ALC) to exclude a property near the airport for an “aeronautical-related airside development.”

Also on the agenda is the endorsement of the North End Plan (NEP) and amendments to the Official Community Plan (OCP) to align policies with the plan.

Below is a breakdown of each item on the agenda.

If you would like to attend a public hearing, submit your concerns or watch online, you can find all that information at this link.

ALC application for 4150 Old Vernon Rd.

City staff are recommending support for an application to exclude the property from the ALC because it was identified in the YLW Airport Master Plan 2045 as a future site for Aerospace Camps support services. It is designated as PSU – Public Service/Utilities in the OCP.

“YLW believes the potential economic benefits of the airport’s expansion to the agricultural community far outweigh the loss of 0.49 hectares of unused agricultural land,” the report says.

NEP endorsement

Earlier this month, Kelowna council gave initial consideration to the OCP amendments that will put the 30-year plan to build out the North End into action.

Some of the OCP amendments include adding a new mixed employment future land use, policies that speak to the importance of using the NEP for development guidance and policy considerations for redevelopment of the Mill Site.

There are also various OCP mapping amendments including expanding the Downtown Urban Centre to include the proposed new urban centre in the North End.

Updates to building heights maps are required as well as a designation of a portion of Ellis Street to be a retail street to provide space for commercial uses. There are amendments to road classifications, transit and bike overlay maps to improve transportation in the area.

If the OCP amendments are adopted at next month’s public hearing, four years of planning for the final NEP would come to a close.