While the City of West Kelowna has paved the way for developments larger than six storeys, don’t expect to see highrises in the city anytime soon.
The new Official Community Plan adopted in 2023 allows for the prospect of highrises between 12 and 19 storeys in the Westbank Town Centre and up to 12 storeys in the Boucherie Town Centre.
And while the building community is said to be hamstrung by the lack of a fire protection plan for buildings of that size, community development general manager Brent Magnan says there is more to it than that.
“I think the biggest thing right now is the general concern about the slowdown in construction,” Magnan told Castanet News.
“The economic uncertainty and the increase in construction labour costs.
“That is really what is driving the decision to stick with six storeys right now.”
Magnan said the interest from the development community is there, but the market conditions are not.
“When we first brought the Official Community Plan in there were a lot more discussions about 12 and 15 storeys, but as the market conditions change there becomes more of a practical limitation on what developers can actually build today.”
The new fire services plan adopted in principle by council earlier this week will help spurn discussions around things like insurance and lending practices, whether it has changed anything and what developers can expect if they are looking at projects in either the Westbank or Boucherie town centres.
Timing, Magnan said, is always important, but is something the city can’t control when it comes to what does or doesn't make a specific project viable.
While the city and the development community wait for the market to shift, Magnan says it gives city hall a chance to position itself for that shift.
“That’s how we see this.
“We are moving forward with a series of projects like the OCP, the zoning bylaw, our housing accelerator fund, Westbank Town Centre revitalization update and now the fire services tall building plan.
“Those are all steps in the bigger process.”
He said it’s a perfect time to get that work done because the market isn’t pushing the city to get it done.
But, it’s an opportunity to make those decisions while the market is cool because when it does get busy, the city will be ready for that growth.
