Kelowna city council rejects carriage house rezoning

KELOWNA – After previously supporting an application to rezone an agricultural property, Kelowna city council has rejected the proposal.

The application was to rezone a property on June Springs Road so it would allow the residential use of a carriage house. Currently, the carriage house on the property is used as a workshop, office and has a one bedroom suite on the second floor. 

The main concern brought up by council at a meeting back on Jan. 10 was whether allowing the carriage house to be used for residential use would hinder the agricultural value of the land. What made matters difficult for the proposal was the fact the property is in the process of being sold.

Although council members had concerns, at the first meeting they approved the application for a first reading.

Mayor Colin Basran went from supporting the application, to rejecting it at the council meeting Monday, Jan. 23. 

“Going ahead with this would only increase the value for a real estate transaction,” Basran said. “It does nothing for agriculture.”

Coun. Brad Sieben was the only member to support the proposal, saying that because the building was already on the land, approving its residential use would be no hinderance.

“Should something change in the future and it is demonstrated the building is need for agriculture, we can reassess then,” Coun. Gail Given said.

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