It is a development proposal that entails 340 homes, including condo units and townhouses, a 120-unit luxury hotel, a 241-slip marina and a winery.
But the proposal called Blackmun Bay Village is drawing opposition from many area residents.
“I think it’s too large for the area we live in,” area resident Mary Mann told Global News.
Blackmun Bay is a development proposed for a 6.8 hectare parcel of land along Campbell Road near Casa Loma in West Kelowna.
Critics are concerned the project is too dense, especially for an area that only has one access road.
“It’s going to be a real hazard if there’s fires,” Mann said. “We only have the one access, and with that massive development there, we’re going to have problems with access to the bridge. This road is going to be a nightmare.”
While city councillor Rick de Jong likes some aspects of the development, he shares many of the same concerns as residents.
“If this project goes ahead as planned, and as presented to council at this point in time, our highest density development will be right there, half way down Campbell Road to Casa Loma,” he said.”I don’t think that’s smart development.”
The development company, Landstar Development, was before city council on Tuesday asking to be given second reading on the project.
However, council wasn’t prepared to take that step, directing the developer to first consult with the public before any other decisions are made.
In an email to Global News, a company spokesperson said plans are in the works to do just that.
“We are formulating our strategy forward for the community consultations suggested,” wrote Robert Moskovitz. “We will likely hold three to four open house / information sessions on our proposed developments in February. We are now finalizing dates, venues and times.”
Global News also asked Moskovitz whether the company would consider scaling back the project.
He said that question would be better answered at the end of the public consultation process.
“We are doing these public consultations, so we can hear from the public and listen to any genuine concerns,” he said. “Once we heard the feedback, we will draw the conclusions needed to balance the needs of an economically viable project with the sentiments expressed by members of the public.”
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