Developers eye road through Casa Loma
Long a pricey and secluded Westside community with a dead-end road, Casa Loma may one day be connected to Lakeview Heights.
The lakeside neighbourhood in West Kelowna, directly south of the W.R. Bennett Bridge, is currently accessed only by Campbell Road off Highway 97.
But expectations are that future development proposals in Casa Loma will include the first road link to the Lakeview Heights neighbourhood, council heard this week.
“I believe there is an intent from other (developer) applicants to explore those opportunities,” planner Brent Magnan told council. “We don’t have any fine details on that at this point, nothing to bring to council. But it’s something we’re certainly looking at.”
Magnan made the comment as council agreed to send plans for a new Casa Loma development, with 37 homes at the end of Benedick Road, to a public hearing. This particular development does not include a link to Lakeview Heights, council heard.
A future proposed road link to Lakeview Heights would be certain to be controversial among many of Casa Loma’s 800 residents. Waterfront homes in the area sell for upwards of $2 million and even those several blocks from the water have values approaching $1 million.
A link to Lakeview Heights would bring concerns about extra traffic to the Casa Loma neighbourhood, with Kelowna-bound drivers finding another way to access the W.R. Bennett Bridge.
“I am personally dead set against this (secondary access) idea,” said Ryan Holt, president of the Casa Loma residents association. “We have already seen the disastrous consequences of cut-through roads for other communities in West Kelowna. It would have a devastating effect on traffic in our neighbourhood.”
In September, some Casa Loma residents staged a roadside demonstration, carrying placards and appealing for their own neighbours to slow down while driving on Campbell Road.
“Many people walk and bike along here and it’s just not safe, because of drivers’ speed,” protest organizer Shirley Pacholok said. “If we as residents can’t solve our own problems, what’s going to happen when all the development that’s proposed for this area goes ahead?”
A massive development proposal, called Blackmun Bay, is also under consideration for Casa Loma. It would have 300 homes and a 180-room hotel in buildings up to 10 storeys.
Almost 300 people have signed petitions against Blackmun Bay, and an online survey by the Casa Loma residents association found 87 per cent of the 171 respondents were opposed to the development, with the most common concerns relating to traffic and safety issues.
“I love it here and want to keep the quiet charm and character in my community,” was a typical comment among hundreds made by survey respondents.