‘Pushed into a corner’: Locals taking city to court over Kelowna Springs golf course rezoning

It seemed like the battle over Kelowna Springs Golf Course was over when the city rezoned part of the property for redevelopment, but some locals aren’t done fighting.

There are five Kelowna residents — Alexandra Wright, David Buckna, Susan Ames, Randy Kozek and Lorel Pearce — who have filed a petition with the BC Supreme Court to get the city to undo the rezoning.

The petition argues that the City of Kelowna didn’t disclose enough information ahead of public hearings on the decision to allow Vancouver-based Denciti Development Corp. to turn part of the course into a commercial development. It also alleges that city council went into the public hearings with their minds already made up.

“This is a pushback, not because we’re being aggressive, but because we’ve been pushed into a corner,” Alexandra Wright told iNFOnews.ca.

“Right now the people of Kelowna are really feeling like the city council doesn’t respect us. They don’t think that we’re intelligent or that we should have any voice in the future of our city.”

The fight between the city and the public around redeveloping the golf course has been ongoing since 2022, and it came to a close at a public hearing, March 10, when city council decided to approve the rezoning.

The petition is seeking to undo the rezoning, which was officially approved, March 16, and prevent the city from moving the development ahead without “lawful reconsideration.”

The petition claims that the city should have disclosed details about a land swap agreement, a traffic study and other impact assessments before the public hearing.

The petitioners argue that the city didn’t go into the hearing with the intention to listen to the public. 

“The Respondent proceeded in a manner suggesting that the public hearing was treated as a procedural formality rather than a genuine opportunity for public input and deliberation,” the petition reads.

The petitioners don’t have a lawyer, but Wright said that isn’t going to stop them.

The city has not yet been served, and Wright said the plan is to serve them next week.

“Citizens don’t get involved unless they’re really, really upset and unless they see a level of disrespect from the councillors to the public,” she said.

The claims in the petition have not been proven in court, and the city has yet to respond.