Kelowna city council will decide on Kelowna Springs rezone on Monday

Kelowna City Council has deferred their decision on the proposed amendments to the Official Community Plan and rezoning for the Kelowna Springs Golf Course lands at 480 Penno Road.

The developer wants to build an industrial park on half those lands. Council will make its decision Monday.

The golf course has been a nine-hole facility for the past year but was 18-holes previously before changes made by the new owners, Denciti.

The council decision to defer was made Tuesday night, after a seven-hour public hearing attended by about 200 people, which saw supporters and opponents of the proposal have their say.

Those in favour were largely swayed by the developer’s promise to build a large indoor pickleball facility, as well as the jobs and economic benefits the industrial park will bring.

Those against cited wildlife and environmental factors, including the loss of wetlands and impacts to the creek caused by construction of the industrial park and new roads.

Following the hearing, Denciti said in a statement they were encouraged by the strong support expressed from residents and members of the business community who spoke to the proposal’s many recreation and economic benefits.

There has been over three years of controversy surrounding this proposal that started when the previous city council approved changes to land use to allow an industrial park on that site. That was part of the reason why the private property was bought by the new owners.

The city responded to the public outcry over losing an 18-hole golf course by attempting to buy the land from Denciti but the two parties could not agree on terms.

Since then the city has proposed a land swap deal with Denciti which, if approved, would put the remaining nine holes of Kelowna Springs into public ownership. Denciti would acquire a piece of land elsewhere for future development.