Kelowna City Council has agreed to rezone a property on the very northern portion of the city’s boundary to allow for a future multi-dwelling development.
During the Tuesday evening meeting, city councillors gave further consideration to Official Community Plan (OCP) and zoning amendment applications for 9595 Bottom Wood Lake Rd. and 672 Beaver Lake Rd.

The OCP amendment changed the properties to the S-MU – Suburban Multiple Unit designation.
Meanwhile, the rezoning application changed the properties to the MF3 – Apartment Housing zone.
A proposal submitted in June 2024 said the developer was looking to build up to 640 units in several apartments and townhouse buildings.
The City of Kelowna and District of Lake Country are working on a boundary adjustment in the area. Part of that boundary adjustment will see the completion of a portion of the Rail Trail that runs adjacent to this site.
Council was told the District of Lake Country will be using a zone to mimic the city’s apartment housing zone to accommodate the project.
“The District of Lake Country is handling all the engineering, works and services, and improvements with this development,” staff told council.
“(The district has) come to an agreement with the Ministry of Transportation to waive a traffic impact study in exchange for the Commonwealth Road and Highway 97 intersection or a contribution towards that.”
City staff said the properties were close to several recreation uses like the Winfield Arena, Winfield Curling Club, baseball diamonds, a grocery store, the Okanagan Boys and Girls Club with a daycare, senior centre, a food bank and about one kilometre from George Elliot Secondary School and the Creekside Theatre.
Council was told that this type of residential use would work better than any industrial uses (which was the previous zoning) because there are not many industrial companies in the area.

The developer, Westpoint Projects, has built properties on Ambrosi Road, Noble Court and Leon Avenue.
If all the zoning application moves ahead on schedule, the developer is aiming to submit their development permit for the form and character of the project by March.
“There is a large benefit, we hope, to (this) development. We clearly don’t believe that development should be good for some and not for all,” the developer’s representative told council.
The developer’s representative said the Rail Trail part of the project will become a “node” of the trail and will play a major connection between the City of Kelowna, the District of Lake Country and the Okanagan Indian Band lands to the south.
That was part of a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2022 between those three parties.
No members of the public address city council about this project.
Coun. Webber asked staff why the City of Kelowna was moving forward with the zoning amendments if the land would potentially be going to the District of Lake Country.
Staff said the secured zoning in both municipalities will help with the boundary adjustment and progressing this development. They added that Lake Country will inherit Kelowna’s zoning for the two parcels once the boundary adjustment is finalized.
Ultimately, Kelowna City Council agreed to give second and third readings to the zoning and OCP amendments.
Next steps will see the District of Lake Country assume the development permit consideration.