Kelowna council sends Wilkinson Street rental building to public hearing

On Monday, Kelowna City Council agreed to forward a proposed rezoning application for a rental apartment building in the Capri-Landmark area to a public hearing.

Although the application for a 107 units on Wilkinson Street aligns with Kelowna’s Official Community Plan, council voted unanimously to send it to a public hearing.

The provincial government doesn't require rezoning applications that meet a city’s OCP policies to go to public hearing, however, Kelowna council chose to go against the province’s policies after receiving a large amount of opposition from the neighbourhood over the weekend.

Kelowna council did not receive details about the form and character of the building, but design plans indicate that the building would be four storeys tall with a mix of one and two bedrooms.

To make way for all this, the owners are looking to rezone the properties from the existing duplex zone to the MF3r apartment with a rental zone.

The rental only sub-zone allows for certain incentives like reduced parking. The application says there would be an underground parkade with 107 parking spaces and 144 bike spaces.

“This project meets the entire criteria of the Official Community Plan,” said councillor Mohini Singh.

“It can go six storeys, the applicant has done everything by the book, by the rules as laid out in the (OCP), however, there has been a lot of neighbourhood concern about it. We have heard from so many members in the neighbourhood so I think it is important it moves forward to a public hearing so everybody has their voices heard.”

Councillor Charlie Hodge said council needed to hear from the people.

“As far as the message that we send, I think there’s a disconnect from people’s understanding of what is in the (OCP),” said coun. Ron Cannan, adding that what was practical in the document may not necessarily meet the community or neighbourhood’s standards.

Coun. Cannan agreed with forwarding this application to a public hearing.

Also in favour of sending the rezoning to a public hearing, coin. Maxine DeHart said it would also be a good time for the public to better understand the city’s processes while providing an opportunity for discussion between the neighbourhood and the developer.

Coun. Loyal Wooldridge agreed, saying it would give council an opportunity to hear the developer’s plan and how it would meet the city’s housing needs.

“We know we need a steady and robust supply of housing in Kelowna and we need to continue that mandate otherwise we’re going to be in some big trouble,” coun. Wooldridge said.

In addition, coun. Wooldridge said it would also be helpful if city planning staff prepared a report about what type of housing and units would be appropriate for urban centres like the Capri-Landmark area.

No specific date was set, however, May’s public hearing agenda has already been set and the next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 6.