Like many B.C. municipalities, West Kelowna is grappling with the challenges of providing housing for residents.
At its Tuesday (Sept. 24) meeting, council was updated on the city’s draft Infill Housing Strategy by Daniel Sturgeon, a planner with Urban Systems. He explained that while public engagement showed broad support for infill housing, residents expected a need to anticipate growth in West Kelowna.
“They seem to want to see that the city is prepared in terms of infrastructure and locating amenities in neighbourhoods that will see that infill,” he said.
A staff report noted that West Kelowna’s population has increased by 20 per cent over the last decade and is anticipated to grow an average of 1.5 per cent a year until 2050. The city will gain 12,000 new residents in the next 20 years.
Sturgeon’s presentation indicated that the Glenrosa, Westbank Centre and Lakeview Heights communities could provide the best options for infill housing.
“The intent is prioritizing actions in these neighbourhoods will support your infill housing program most effectively,” he told council.
Infill housing is typically ground-oriented, three storeys or less with an at-grade entrance for each unit.
Earlier this year, West Kelowna received housing targets from the province - 2,266 new units to be completed by July 2029. In May this year council approved zoning bylaw changes to allow up to a maximum of four small-scale housing units on many existing single family residential lots throughout West Kelowna.
In addition to single detached homes, duplexes with secondary suites and/or carriage houses can be built on those lots.
West Kelowna’s Housing Needs Assessment, presented to council in July 2022, stated an average of 299 dwellings per year, of various types, will need to be constructed up to 2041 for a total of 5,380 units to meet expected demand.
Staff’s report to council Tuesday noted West Kelowna is projected to meet at least 16 per cent of the Central Okanagan’s housing needs by 2036. As of 2021, 72 per cent of the city’s housing supply consisted of single detached dwellings.
