West Kelowna says it wants to continue working with a developer in a bid to keep some of the existing hiking trails on the side of Mt. Boucherie.
At a recent public hearing, members of the public and a group calling itself the Friends of Mount Boucherie expressed concern about the possible loss of trails the public have been using for years, despite the fact many are on private land owned by the developer.
The city has said the Victor Properties, has already made some changes to its plans to build more homes in the area in order to keep some of the trails.
The development, the final two phases of the Vineyard Estates neighbourhood, could see as many as 202 new homes built on a 68-hectares on the south slope of Mt. Boucherie.
Prior to the public hearing a petition with hundreds of names was submitted to the city calling for protection of the trails.
Trail proponents have called the area “West Kelowna’s Stanley Park,” in reference to Vancouver’s major public park, and say people come from far afield to hike the trails,which provide stunning vistas of the sounding area and Okanagan Lake.
The original plan for Vineyard Estates called for a total of 500 homes—single family houses and townhouse—on the land owned by Victor Properties, but that was reduced to 420 after the company agreed to commit more land for greenspace.
One of the trails planned for the site will connect Eain Lamont Park and Mt. Boucherie Park. There will also be more parking for vehicles created at the trailhead.