Council turns down proposed residential development

A proposed residential development for nearly 1,000 housing units in North Glenmore was voted down 5-2 in council today.

After two hours of complex reports and emotionally-charged presentations, council members shared their difficulties in making the decision, but still voted against the Diamond Mountain plan.

The main concern was the potential for nuisance complaints, as the site location is within close proximity to the Glenmore Landfill site.

Kevin Van Vliet, Kelowna's Utility Service manager, presented a comprehensive report and discussed the likelihood of receiving complaints from residents regarding the sight, noise, and odour from the landfill site.

As the city continues to grow its population, so will the size of the landfill site and the amount of traffic in the North Glenmore area.

If Kelowna received enough nuisance complaints, the Ministry of Environment could force the city to take affirmative action by either closing the landfill, relocating it or containing it in another costly way.

All of those possible solutions would cost the city an enormous amount. According to the City's report, the cost to Kelowna taxpayers could range from $28 to $52 million to mitigate nuisance generated from compost impacts, or tens of millions of dollars to close the landfill prematurely.

Because of the nuisance concerns, and unclear information about the environmental impacts, the city moved to undergo further study of the area, as it hopes to promote future growth both in North Glenmore and at UBC Okanagan campus.

The Glenmore Landfill site has a life expectancy of 75 years and serves the entire Central Okanagan region from Peachland to Big White. It is the only waste management facility in the area.

Prior to council's final vote, the applicant shared her disappointment and immense frustration with the lengthy process, as well as the benefits the Diamond Mountain area would bring to the community.

"The last year has been anything but collaboration," said Renee Wasylyk, CEO of Troika Management Corp. "We've been in the dark."

Wasylyk clearly and passionately stated her frustrations about feeling misled with the stalled project.

In 2008, the City entertained discussions with the applicant regarding the provision of land to be included in the next Official Community Plan update.

The first Area Structure Plan was submitted in 2012 and in 2014, a Nuisance Study Analysis was done. Further reports and studies were performed on the proposed plan, along with amendments and meetings throughout 2017.

The planned 88-hectare hillside community would provide multi-family housing including semi-detached homes, row housing, and apartment-style housing.

The plan also included the potential for affordable and/or subsidized housing options as well as a commercial centre with retail shops and various services including daycare.

“We want to bring to Kelowna a community that’s sustainable, that relieves the city’s affordable housing issue, that fits a real range of residents and families at different stages of life and scales of income,” said Wasylyk, in a letter prior to today's council meeting.

She also said that if the Area Structure Plan wasn't approved, they would move ahead with a development that wouldn't help the affordable housing issue.

“If the Area Structure Plan isn’t approved, the property is already zoned for Agricultural 1 (A1) so we would proceed with developing seventeen 10-acre lots that only the wealthy could afford, and the public parks, lookouts and trails would be lost," she said.

Much of the city staff's discussion focused on the type of research used to determine the extent of the odour and potential noise from traffic heading to and from the landfill.

"The issues aren't about science," said Wasylyk. "This is about fear."

The proposed plan was expected to bring in billions of dollars to the area.

Still, despite the research, numerous reports and experts from both contracted companies, no one could clearly determine the potential impact of the residents nearest to the landfill in the proposed north residential area of the plan.

Councillor Luke Stack was opposed to the development and agreed with Wasylyk that the issue wasn't related to the reports.

"This isn't about science. It's about people's perception."

He sees the landfill as a key asset to Kelowna, just like the airport or the lake and therefore an asset worth protecting.

Councillor Maxine DeHart struggled to make her decision but in the end, voted against. She was concerned about people wanting to buy near the landfill.

"I struggled with it but we have to do the right thing for the citizens of Kelowna and that's the bottom line we have to do the right things for everybody."

While council understands the need for more affordable housing, the majority felt the potential number of complaints leading to an early closure of the landfill or other repercussions was not worth the risk.

Mayor Colin Basran addressed his struggle with the decision as he and the applicant are personal friends. However, in the end, he voted against.

"Putting people in a sea of nuisance, in my opinion, is not good planning," said Mayor Basran.

Moving forward, the City will undergo more research on the impacts of the Glenmore Landfill site to nearby areas and Troika will revisit the design table.

The two councillors opposed to the City recommendations were councillor Tracy Gray and Brad Sieben.

KelownaNow will be continuing this story as it unfolds.

For more information on the City's report, go here.

For information on the Diamond Mountain plan, visit Troika's site.