Council OK’s housing plan

Mayor defends record on housing development

A major residential and commercial development in the South Pandosy district has moved forward with city council’s preliminary approval.

As he supported the 320-home project on a 4.4-acre Lakeshore Road site, Mayor Colin Basran scolded critics who he said unfairly painted the city as being beholden to developers and planners.

“What I can tell you is that council are the ones who make the decisions,” Basran said near the end of a two-hour public hearing.

“We all know that. And as long as we know that, we can go to sleep well at night. Planning department does not drive the bus as to where our city is heading,” Basran said.

The mayor also took umbrage with what he said was the unfair criticism that South Pandosy — a fast-changing neighbourhood with a mix of new residential properties — was poorly planned.

“I do believe the official community plan has done a very good job of guiding development in South Pandosy,” he said. “Because the proof is in all the people who want to live there.”

Council voted unanimously to change the zoning for the site to allow for a project the developer, Stober Group of Kelowna, currently envisions to include a tower of up to 14 storeys as well as new commercial premises. The development site is immediately north of Boyce-Gyro Park. Stober Group bought the property from the city in 2017 for $4.9 million.

While council has signalled its intention to rezone the property, pending a final reading that’s usually routine, specific approvals for the development’s form and character must still be given at a future meeting.