Regular Meeting
Tuesday, May 28, 2024
Watch Council meetings live or view the webcast archive
Council meetings are livestreamed at westkelownacity.ca/webcasts. The webcast is archived the next business day. Find the May 28 agenda and archive at pub-westkelowna.escribemeetings.com.
Community welcomed to first meeting in new Council Chambers in purpose-built City Hall
Council thanked everyone who attended the inaugural in-person meeting in the new Council Chambers in West Kelowna’s purpose-built City Hall at 3731 Old Okanagan Hwy. On Tuesday, May 21, Council also celebrated a related milestone, welcoming the first customers to municipal administrative services being provided in the new City Hall. For 17 years, Council Chambers have been held in temporary locations including Westbank Lions and Mt. Boucherie Community Centres and leased portables at the Mt. Boucherie Recreation Complex parking lot. Council emphasized the importance of holding meetings that serve the public in purpose-built Chambers, designed to serve a dynamic and growing City. The new City Hall/Library Building, located next to Memorial Park and Johnson Bentley Memorial Aquatic Centre, will provide the Westside with a greater civic centre area and be a true gathering place for our community. For more information on the other organizations that will soon serve the public at the City Hall/Library Building, such as the Okanagan Regional Library, which is an equity partner, and the MLA, MP, ICBC, and Service BC, go to westkelownacity.ca/cityhallandlibrary.
Public works crews recognized for their hard work and year-round service to our community
On the heels of National Public Works Week, from May 19 to 25, Council thanked the City of West Kelowna’s public works crews and recognized their great work, every day, to keep our community running. This year’s Public Works Week theme was “advancing the quality of life for all” to emphasize the remarkable impacts that crews have in improving our quality of life in service areas such as capital projects, engineering, facilities, parks, roads, water distribution and treatment, sanitary and storm sewers, waste management and more.
Community invited to Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant official opening on May 31
Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant provides clean, safe, and reliable drinking water to more than 19,650 people and Council is inviting the public to join them this Friday, May 31, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 1500 Rosewood Drive, to celebrate the facility and mark its official opening. The event will include a ribbon cutting ceremony and community celebration for the City’s largest-ever infrastructure project. Learn more at westkelownacity.ca/rvwtp.
Community thanked for supporting another successful FireSmart Family Day on May 25
Council thanked our community for showing up in great numbers for FireSmart Family Day on May 25 to show appreciation for firefighters and learn more about how to keep our homes and community safe from wildfire. Attendance was estimated at close to 1,000, for the third consecutive year, despite the inclement weather during this year’s event. For more information on West Kelowna Fire Rescue’s FireSmart program, go to westkelownacity.ca/firesmart.
Townhouse development approved in Shannon Lake neighbourhood
Council authorized a Multiple Family and Intensive Residential, Sensitive Terrestrial Ecosystem, and Hillside Development Permit for a 58-unit townhouse development at 3401 Sundance Drive. Council also authorized variances to the Zoning Bylaw to reduce the following minimum parcel boundary setbacks: Front, from 6.0 to 4.0 metres; interior side, from 4.5 to 3.0 metres; and rear, from 7.5 to 6.0 metres. Other variances will reduce: The minimum drive aisle width from 7.0 to 6.0 metres over the access lane; and, the required loading space from 4.0 to 3.0 metres. The maximum retaining wall height will be increased from 2.5 to 4.5 metres. The maximum building height will also be increased from 12.0 to 13.2 metres for units 55 through 58.
Council prioritizes workplan for long range planning
Given that the City’s Planning Department has experienced significant workload increases, due to the Province of B.C.’s new housing initiatives, Council directed staff to prioritize all legislative changes. Council also directed staff to prioritize Rental Protection and Tenant Relocation Assistance Policies given potential impacts to residents vulnerable to redevelopment pressures. Staff was also directed to prioritize transit planning, the Addressing Bylaw and the RC3 Short-Term Rental Review before all other remaining projects that are not currently underway.
Council ensures ongoing shelter operations for West Kelowna’s unhoused
Council authorized a three-year extension of a Temporary Use Permit (TUP), from July 13, 2024, to July 13, 2027, to operate the temporary shelter within West Kelowna’s municipal right of way and a portion of its property at 2515 Bartley Road, next to where the City’s Public Works Yard is being built. The shelter, which BC Housing funds, and which the Turning Points Collaborative Society operates, continues to search for a permanent suitable site. With Council extending the TUP, the shelter can continue to provide our community’s unhoused with private rooms, meals, wellness checks, and access to support services.
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