Kelowna Springs Golf Course public hearing last stand for development opponents

Years of drama, letters and public frustration around a golf course in Kelowna are heading to a close with a public hearing next week.

The Kelowna Springs Golf Course redevelopment has been in the works for years and a final public hearing to decide whether to rezone the land as industrial is set for Tuesday, March 10, but some who are fighting to preserve the course feel like it’s already a done deal.

Alexandra Wright is a local resident who’s against the course redevelopment, and she said people are going to keep pushing back until the last minute.

“There’s a ton of people who are engaged in this but there are a lot of people who feel defeated already,” she said. “We’re all going to be there. We’re pushing.”

The city has already arranged a deal with the development company Denciti to give it 9.1 acres of industrial land in exchange for the remaining nine-hole course at Kelowna Springs. The land swap deal is dependent on the rezoning and development of the course going ahead.

Wright said there’s going to be a big turnout of people at the public hearing who aren’t happy with the plan, but the land swap deal makes her believe the city has already made up its mind.

“It’s just disgusting that we’re having this conversation about how the city announced it is a done deal,” Wright said.

The Kelowna Springs Golf Course redevelopment has been in the works for years since Denciti Development Corp. bought the land in 2022. The city previously received hundreds of letters against the development and had decided not to allow the development to go ahead.

Now, there’s a new development plan that preserves half of the golf course by giving it to the city, and includes some recreation areas as part of the planned industrial park.

Kelowna Springs’ operations owner Ian Robertson, who sold the course to Denciti in 2022, said that the new plan is a reasonable compromise.

“The proposal keeps a full-length nine-hole course in place, adds recreation options, and brings in employment lands on the rest of the property. It’s not going to make everyone happy, but it’s the kind of compromise that actually works,” he said in an email.

Wright said this public hearing is the last stand for people who have been pushing back against the development.

“This is it. There’s no other avenue,” Wright said.