Kamloops may fund Juniper emergency route as housing market slows

A Kamloops neighbourhood’s emergency access route has been in the planning stage since a 2021 wildfire saw residents bottle-necked at the only road in or out of the neighbourhood, but a slowdown in the real estate market means the Juniper West developer’s commitment to foot the bill is now falling on taxpayers — for now.

That according to a city staff report that will have council consider whether a road connecting Juniper Ridge to Rose Hill should be funded through a $6.7 million loan.

It’s in addition to the $4.5 million cost for the city’s portion of the construction project that starts at Rose Hill Road and extends through Crown land, connecting to the future Qu’Appelle Boulevard extension.

“With the downturn in the real estate market (Juniper West Developments Ltd.) has no firm plans for when development of its lands will proceed,” the staff report read.

If approved, the City would fund the entire $11.2 million project and the company would be obligated to repay its share before the end of 2032.

The developer would start the majority of the job next year and have the road complete by the end of 2027, including the addition of a multi-use pathway and street light, the report said. The city will have to be repaid “before the developer realizes any financial gain” from building the road.

The Juniper wildfire back in 2021 started with a lightning strike on the east side of the neighbourhood. Not everyone was ordered to evacuate, but many residents took to their vehicles and traffic was soon backed up as Highland Drive was the only public road that could get safely into the city.

At least one other route was locked behind a gate, which likely would have been opened if emergency crews ordered larger scale evacuations. No homes were lost in the wildfire.

Since then, the city has further established two emergency egress routes from the neighbourhood. They both remain behind locked gates and only opened for the public by emergency crews as needed.