What will Kelowna look like in 20 years?
That’s exactly what city planners are establishing right now as they lay out the 2040 Official Community Plan (OCP), a guiding document that will outline the City of Kelowna’s growth through to 2040.
The document is in the third phase of a five-phase process. The third phase, according to planner Robert Miles, sees planners working out the finer details of the document by refining broader ideas received through community feedback.
“Phase three is ultimately about delivering a first draft of a new OCP to council,” Miles told council at a meeting on Monday.
“This makes phase three the largest phase of the process and the one where the heaviest lifting is done.”
As of right now, the plan is targeting increased growth and density within urban areas and reduced sprawl, something Miles said has been largely supported by input received from the community.
“(Phase two) asked the question where you would like to focus most of the growth, Phase three focused more on this is what that could mean to changes in your neighbourhood,” he said.
“We could show residents where changes could be expected in their neighbourhood as the plan moved from the conceptual growth strategies to real, more targeted changes in specific areas of the city.”
However, Miles said, residents were also concerned about the growth of amenities in areas being targeted with growth, including more frequent transit and improved active transportation corridors.
“Much of the discussions to date have focused on high-level, visioning for the plan and identification of values and key concepts,” he said.
“The discussion can now shift to more detailed policies and actions.”
A new proposed land-use map will be given to council in early 2020 and the final 2040 OCP will be presented to council later in the new year.
READ MORE: Kelowna city council approves off-leash dog beach on Lake Avenue
READ MORE: Nominations open for Kelowna’s 45th annual Civic and Community Awards
@michaelrdrguez
michael.rodriguez@kelownacapnews.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.