Kelowna residents are being encouraged to share their thoughts on the city’s plan for infill housing.
“One of the goals of the Infill Options project is to provide the opportunity for more types of housing throughout Kelowna,” said city planner Daniel Sturgeon.
“Supporting a diversity of housing sizes and types helps create more choices for people.”
Infill housing includes carriage houses, multiplexes, rowhouses, townhouses, and low-rise apartment buildings, and will appear in core area neighbourhoods as existing homes are renovated or redeveloped over time.
“This infill housing strategy is one of several housing priorities the city is currently pursuing to support a healthier housing system,” Sturgeon added.
In 2022, the provincial government announced plans requiring municipalities to allow more infill in an effort to combat a housing shortage.
A news release from the city noted that Kelowna is expected to grow by 50,000 more people by 2040, with the Official Community Plan (OCP) calling for 25 per cent of new housing to be in the form of infill.
“Infill housing comes with benefits and trade-offs,” Sturgeon said. “It can help to improve housing diversity, affordability, transportation options, and infrastructure costs, but also means having to make choices between things like yard space, parking, and building form.”
“Through this engagement, we want residents to share their perspectives for balancing these trade-offs.”
Residents are invited to provide input to help shape this approach to infill housing until Oct. 15, on the City of Kelowna website.
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