Boom times in West Kelowna

As we design and build our community we have to give some attention to making a community that’s a good place for folks who are little younger than those us who are getting on.

Special to The Daily Courier

“West Kelowna is booming,” said Mayor Doug Findlater in his West Kelowna stateof-the-city address to the Greater Westside Board of Trade Thursday afternoon.

The city’s development services handled a record-breaking number of building permits for single-family homes in 2016, and Findlater said all signs are pointing to an even bigger year in 2017.

Single-family housing starts increased 112 per cent from 2015 to 2016.

Despite the increase in demand, the average processing time for a single-family home building permit dramatically has decreased 75 per cent from an average of eight weeks in spring 2016 to two weeks now.

According to the Statistics Canada census, West Kelowna’s population increased almost six per cent from 2011 to 2016 and the labour force increased 1.9 per cent.

While there was an increase in the population of children up to 14 year-olds, as well as 55 years and older, there was an decrease in the number of people from birth to 54 year olds.

“As we design and build our community we have to give some attention to making a community that’s a good place for folks who are little younger than those us who are getting on,” said Findlater.

Another bright spot, Findlater said, was the six per cent increase in the number of West Kelowna businesses from 2015 to 2016 with more than 2,000 West Kelowna business licences in 2016.

West Kelowna has set strategic priorities for the coming year in five categories: infrastructure, economic and financial environment; sustainability; governance and protective services.

Highlights from the infrastructure priorities include the construction of the new Rose Valley water treatment plant.

With Okanagan Lake at unprecedented high levels, it seems ironic council will be establishing a drought plan in case the reservoirs become depleted following three or four years without adequate precipitation.

Not to be confused with a conservation plan, Findlater said the drought plan would deal with the decisions the city would have to make in a slow-moving state of emergency as water becomes tighter and tighter.

“Some industries or businesses or residents may not get water if things ever get really tight,” said Findlater.

Creating a pedestrian-friendly community is a priority with plans to upgrade around Glenrosa Elementary School.

Following a failed referendum, the city hall issue hasn’t gone away. Developing a city hall strategy is a governance priority.

“In terms of housing our staff, it’s become more critical than ever,” said Findlater. “We’re truly out of space in the facility we’re in.”

The city is looking at renting space elsewhere or putting in more portables ,as well as looking at putting in a public works facility on its land behind Bylands and relocating some staff out of city hall as well as from satellite offices in the former Lakeview and Westbank Irrigation offices.

A second evacuation route out of Glenrosa for its 6,500 residents is also a priority.

In the past, people could take the Jackpine Lake Road up past Crystal Mountain; however, recent flooding has made the road non-viable.

“If there’s a fire by Gorman’s people are stuck in the neighbourhood,” he said. a