During the next 18 months, the City of Kelowna will be asking residents to take part in the Imagine Kelowna initiative, the largest city-wide conversation in years to create a long-term community vision.
What kind of community do we aspire to be? What are our core values? How can Kelowna adapt to future challenges? What are those challenges? The community will discuss these and other questions throughout the process, guiding future decisions and ensuring Kelowna is adaptable and resilient to change over the next 25 years.
“This initiative is a historical opportunity to direct the future of our community, and is incredibly important for citizens of all ages to get involved and share their vision for Kelowna,” said Mayor Colin Basran.
“In the coming years, we’ll see significant shifts in economy, technology, resources, climate and people that will influence our community’s future. By participating in this process, we can all contribute to creating a thriving community for current and future generations.”
There are a number of ways citizens can get involved over the next 18 months, in-person or online. The Imagine Kelowna kick-off event will be at Rutland May Days, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., near the Rutland Centennial Hall on Saturday, May 21.
Additional events and online discussions will take place throughout the process.
Imagine Kelowna has been designed in four phases: Share, Shape, Affirm and Integrate. It will start with general conversations and progress to more specific discussions in the next phases. The first phase begins Saturday. The next phases will begin to shape priorities from the community’s perspective.
“This made-in-Kelowna vision is not a corporate vision or a land-use plan,” said project manager Rafael Villarreal. “This is the community’s strategic vision that will help us re-think our planning process to integrate our master plans, partnerships and strategies. We want to know the most important issues facing us as a community and how we can identify priorities together as the process continues.”
The previous community visioning initiative was completed 24 years ago in 1992 and established the protection of agriculture, focusing growth in town centres, supporting culture and investing in active transportation.
On Saturday, May 21, information regarding the project, timelines, events and how to participate can be accessed by visiting imagine.kelowna.ca.