VIDEO: Councillor determined to stop Kelowna Springs from being paved over

Kelowna's newly updated official community plan has Kelowna Springs Golf Course earmarked for industrial development.

But it looks like not going to happen now.

Not if city councillor Luke Stack has anything to say about it.

"Because I think it's a really important asset in our city," said Stack.

"It's 106 acres of prime golf land," he said.

"It's beautiful, it's green, it's very, very well used."

Since he began his efforts on the previous council, he said he's had an unprecedented amount of public support on the issue.

The OCP envisions the property looking after the future needs of industrial expansion.

But Stack argues that keeping it green isn't hampering economic growth.

"Staff indicate quite clearly to us that we need to expand our industrial lands," he acknowledged.

"But we do have industrial lands yet to be filled up."

He said he understands the demand for the industry.

"But I respond back with the question, at what expense?" asks Stack. "Do we give away one of our greatest assets and reduce the quality of life in our city for the goal of industrial expansion?"

Efforts to change the official community plan’s future designation to recreation from industrial stalled with the previous council after a 4-4 vote, but it looks like he has the support he needs with the current group.

"I believe we have the majority that want to go in that direction," he said.

Most notably, the new mayor, Tom Dyas is on side.

But more importantly, Kelowna's longest-serving council member said the public supports it.

"I think I've heard more from citizens on this issue than any other issue in the last four years," said Stack.

"People really want to maintain this."

And he said it's not just golfers.

"It's also an ecologically important part of a large wet system out there. It's adjoining an area where we have a lot of wetlands so there's a lot of factors that go into this."

The matter will be back before council again Feb. 27.