Kelowna will need at least another $3 million to extend Rotary beach

KELOWNA – “Wow! That’s amazing,” was Brenda Bachmann’s response yesterday, Oct. 8, when she was told the City of Kelowna had bought a property near Rotary Beach Park in Kelowna for $2.7 million.

Bachmann was the leader of two Walk the Beach events along Kelowna’s waterfront in 2017 and 2018. Along with Al Janusus, from Plan Kelowna, she raised awareness of people’s right to walk along Okanagan Lake below the high water mark.

It's the city's intent to expand Rotary Park with its purchase but one other lot stands in between. It has large rocks piled into the water next to the park, blocking access along the waterfront to this new piece of the park.

But if the City of Kelowna is every going to join the two properties, it won't come cheap. The home and property at 3684 Lakeshore Road last sold in 2016 for $3.15 million. It was valued by B.C. Assessment as of July 31, 2018 at $3.4 million. The house, built in 1981, was assessed at more than $1 million.

The land the city bought was listed for sale at just under $3 million, sold for $2.7 million and assessed at $2.5 million, including just $247,000 for the house. It was built in 1948.

“It’s at a point where, based on some flood damage, for public safety, we will be removing the home from the property,” Ben Walker, the city’s property officer specialist told iNFOnews.ca.

City staff are looking into what can be done with the land and what public access might be allowed for the years it might take to buy the intervening land. There are about 20 metres of sandy beach next to the lake.

The city’s Official Community Plan calls for Rotary Park to be expanded to include the land it just bought at 3676 Lakeshore Road but no further, Walker said.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Rob Munro or call 250-808-0143 or email the editor. You can also submitphotos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.