An application before Council proposes 65 row townhouses at 4482 & 4498 Gordon Drive — served by a single driveway onto a school-frontage arterial already gridlocked at drop-off.
We are not against housing on Gordon Drive. We support thoughtful development that fits the neighbourhood and keeps it safe. We are against this proposal — this scale, this density, on this access point.
Kelowna’s Official Community Plan Policy 7.2.1 already sets the standard for development like this. Here it is, in plain language. Read the detail →
A single driveway onto an arterial already at “dangerous” merge conditions in the morning peak, beside a sidewalk used daily by children walking to four schools and a daycare. The traffic study was done over spring break, with no morning data.
The OCP requires new buildings to “transition their height and massing towards adjacent lower-density neighbourhoods.” A single consolidated 65-unit block on one access point does not. We support development that fits the street — this form does not.
The OCP calls for a public park component and an affordable or rental component in proposals of this scale. This one has neither, and under the proposed zoning, no parkland or amenity contribution is required at all.
We are not opposed to development on this land. We support thoughtful development — homes built the right way, with massing that steps down toward neighbouring properties, safe vehicle access, and a complete traffic study covering the morning peak during a regular school week. The City required the neighbouring strata to build a 30-metre curb extension for safe egress; this proposal has not been held to that standard. We are asking Council for thoughtful development on Gordon Drive — not this proposal.
Once Council adopts these bylaws, the change attaches to the land permanently — it applies to any current or future owner. See what’s being proposed and how it gets decided →
Kelowna’s 2040 OCP was adopted on January 10, 2022 after a multi-year public consultation. It designated this site as Suburban Residential. This application asks Council to change that designation — for a single proposal — four years and four months later.
BC law requires OCPs to be reviewed on a five-year cycle. The legislated review of Kelowna’s 2040 OCP is not yet due. Why amend it site-by-site, before the proper community-wide review? Read the OCP question →
Tell Council that Gordon Drive deserves development that is safe, properly studied, and fits the neighbourhood. Every signature includes a name and Kelowna address, so Council knows it’s real.
Sign the petition