New lots, new homes, and the long-awaited Wilden Towncenter
Over the past two years, sales in Wilden have exceeded every projection. By early 2017, the inventory was down to less than 40 lots, most of them in the lake view neighbourhood Rocky Point, and townhomes had completely sold out.
The Wilden planning department is now working full speed on creating new neighbourhoods. More than 100 single-family lots are planned to be released in 2018 and more in successive years. Plus there are several multi-family developments on the drawing board.
Work will also commence on the Wilden Towncenter located off Union Road. The variety of amenities that will be gathered here, including shops and services, a café, marketplace, elementary school and public park alongside a beautiful pond, will enrich life for all Wilden residents.
Strategic road development will soon make it quicker and easier to get around. John Hindle Drive, the new east-west link between Glenmore Road and the UBC Okanagan campus is scheduled to open in spring 2018. Working concurrently, Blenk Development is extending Begbie Road through to Glenmore Road, opening a new major entry into Wilden and providing a shorter, more direct route to UBCO and the Kelowna airport. Wilden meets growing demand and stays true to master plan. There couldn’t be a better time to develop new living space and community-enhancing infrastructure within Wilden, both of which have been rooted in the master plan from day one. The Kelowna metropolitan area has the fastest population growth in Canada, and it is not expected to slow down any time soon. More than 6,000 people are expected to move to Kelowna in 2017, most of them between 25 and 34 years old.
Wilden developer Gerhard Blenk foresaw the growth of Kelowna when he first purchased the wild piece of land north of Knox Mountain and Glenmore that he called Wilden.
Given that Wilden is just 10 minutes from downtown and 15 minutes from the airport and UBCO, he knew eventually smaller higher-density pockets at the community’s core would be much needed.
New development will not compromise the essence of Wilden life in any way. The master plan ensures that approximately half of the land will be preserved as open space or public park. There will always be greenbelts and wetlands restored to be wildlife habitats, and every home will have a closeby access to recreational park areas. Wilden will continue to be one of these rare places in the world where you can live in a natural setting with stunning views and be just 10 minutes away from a vibrant city.