A proposal to allow temporary housing for 70 temporary farm workers at a Kelowna cherry orchard is heading to a public hearing.
The orchard located at 2975 Gallagher Road is already home to 60 temporary farm workers, which is the maximum number of workers permitted for a farm unit greater than eight hectares in Kelowna.
As a result, an amendment to the zoning bylaw will have to be approved at a public hearing for the project to go forward.
Owned by Coral Beach Farms Ltd, the property is a part of the more 1,100 acres farmed by the nearly 1,000 employed by the company during the peak summer season.
Roughly 60% of seasonal staff brought in under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (SAWP) program from Mexico and Jamaica, says the report to council.
In a letter to city planners, orchard owner David Geen states that the additional 70 units proposed for the Gallagher Rd orchard places the camp on an area poorly suited to farming and out of sight from residential areas.
Council will consider the proposal on Tuesday, Feb. 25 beginning at 6 pm.
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