Business keen to cash in on path

People want to sell accommodations, food, says report

The Okanagan Rail Trail isn’t even open yet, and already businesses are interested in monetizing the long-distance recreation path.

The City of Kelowna, meanwhile, is likely to put a sewer main along a section of its trail.

And it still hasn’t been determined whether horses, scooters and electric bikes will be allowed along the 49-kilometre trail between Coldstream and Kelowna.

These and other planning details are contained in an update on the path’s development going to municipal councils in the weeks ahead.

Long sections of the trail, constructed along an abandoned railway corridor, will officially open for public use later this year. As a practical matter, however, many people are already walking and cycling trail sections, particularly in Lake Country.

“(We) have made significant progress in the acquisition and development of the Okanagan Rail Trail,” reads part of the report, to be considered first next Tuesday by Lake Country town council.

The path, which passes along the shore of several lakes and through farmland, is intended to be a “world-class” attraction that’s appealing to both local residents and tourists, the report states.

It also indicates the trail has “already drawn the interest of the private sector,” with people asking about investment opportunities to create accommodations and eating and drinking establishments along the path.

Municipal staff in Kelowna are eyeing a section of the trail for installation of a new sewer main, but it is suggested in the report that such additional uses may impact the path’s overall appeal and that other jurisdictions be consulted on such matters.

Still to be determined is just who, and what, can use the trail, the report says.

“The permitted uses and activities on the rail trail, and the activities which will be prohibited, have not yet been fully addressed. While the statutory right-of-way agreement between the owner jurisdictions prohibits motorized vehicles on the rail trail, other uses that will need to be addressed include trail use by equestrians, dogs (on and/or off leash), electric bicycles and perhaps even electric scooters.”