by Colin Dacre | May 15, 2022 | from castanet.net

Kelowna city council will get its first look next week at a 187-unit rental development just south of Orchard Park Mall.

City planners are recommending council support the rezoning proposal for two apartment buildings at Benvoulin and Cooper roads on an 3.3-acre empty lot currently zoned for agriculture. The property is not in the Agricultural Land Reserve.

“The proposed development will benefit from the central and convenient location of the subject property in close access to many nearby shops, services and amenities in the Midtown Urban Centre,” says a city staff report.

As a part of the development, Mayer Road would be connected from Benvoulin Road to Benvoulin Court, something city planners call “a valuable road connection in the area.”

While a rezoning is required, the project fits within Kelowna’s official community plan, meaning a public hearing will likely not take place

A plant nursery formerly operated on the property, but it closed around 2006 when Benvoulin Road was relocated from the east side of the property, to the south. It has been vacant since.

Council will discuss the proposal Monday evening.