A Kelowna city councillor wants to know why more than 100 acres of prime green space has been designated as future industrial land.
Coun. Luke Stack brought forth a motion Monday morning, asking staff to bring back its rationale behind changing the future land use designation of Kelowna Springs Golf Course from P3, parks and open space to industrial. The change could pave the way for the sale of the course to a developer with plans for building an industrial park on the property.
That sale, at last report, was still pending.
"I am fully aware that we need more industrial space and this is contiguous with existing (industrial), so I understand the logic," Stack told Castanet News. "But, this is 106 acres of beautiful golf course that the residents enjoy in the city, and although it is not technically city park green space, most would argue it is a very nice green environment. "I want to make sure that is the right designation as opposed to leaving it as P3, which would be public open recreation space."
Stack says he has heard from some members of the public who are not happy with the pending loss of public golf courses in the city. If Kelowna Springs does eventually sell and shut down, it would join Shadow Ridge, purchased by the city from southern expansion of the airport and Michaelbrook golf course, which is earmarked to become part of the Mission Recreation Complex.
"It is, I think, affecting what people would view as their quality of life in Kelowna as we lose some of these resources."
In the most recent citizen survey, 55 per cent of residents indicated their quality of life is not as good now as it was two or four years ago. Knowing the environment and recreation space needs to be protected, Stack says he doesn't know if the decision regarding future land use was the right one.
Stack says he brought the issue forward after coming across a city-owned golf course in the middle of Burnaby recently.
