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Development

Plans for huge new care home in downtown Vernon coming along

VERNON - The creation of a large, multi-storey care home in downtown Vernon is moving along, but there are concerns it won’t be much to look at. The City of Vernon supported several development variances for the project, which includes 90 residential care beds, 52 assisted living units, 72 one- and two-bedroom condo units, and...

Vernon man leaves legacy atop his beloved Middleton Mountain

VERNON - Many associate Middleton Mountain with the large housing subdivision that encircles it, but if you climb to the very top, you’ll find 90 acres of protected reserve land and one of the most spectacular panoramic views of Vernon. While developers were picking up land around Middleton Mountain around the 1980s, Roy Farnsworth, who...

First Nations hotel and conference centre in the works for West Kelowna

WEST KELOWNA – If Grand Chief Ron Derrickson gets his way, West Kelowna could become a major destination for First Nations business people across North America. He is in the early planning stages of a luxury hotel and conference centre on his 5.5-acre property next to Two Eagles Golf Course off Carrington Road in West...

Property tax exemption? How do I get me one of those?

KELOWNA - It's hard to see what Valley First Credit Union in Rutland, the yet-to-be-built luxury Westcorp hotel near Kerry Park and the newly-rebuilt Kelowna Yacht Club might have in common. But what links them is all are either eligible or have already received a ten-year property tax holiday under Kelowna’s revitalization tax exemption bylaw,...

Construction just around the corner for Vernon’s new Tim Hortons

VERNON - Construction on Vernon’s latest Tim Hortons is expected to start soon across from Beairtso Elementary School. Southborough Vernon Investments Ltd. director David Longpré says the company plans to break ground within the next month and complete the drive-through Tim Hortons and CO-OP Gas Bar by the end of the year. “There’s anticipations it...

Vernon motel could be yours for just over $1M

VERNON - A downtown motel familiar to most Vernon residents is up for sale. The Green Valley Motel on Highway 97 across from Polson Park is on the market for $1,195,000. Built in 1965, the motel features 27 units currently rented out by the month. A description of the listing suggests it has lots of...

South Penticton development gets ready to dig into phase two

PENTICTON - More development is on the way for land overlooking Skaha Lake as the company responsible for the development prepares to launch phase two of the 600-home residential resort community. The $250-million Skaha Hills project in the southern area of Penticton is moving along in small increments, with 20 of their 47 phase one...

Surge in Kelowna rental housing construction

KELOWNA - Rental housing construction is undergoing a renaissance of sorts with the City of Kelowna reporting a surge of construction activity in the last 18 months. Recent focus has been on so-called micro-suites — units with a floor area under 29 square metres — but Doug Gilchrist, director of community planning for the city,...

Micro suite exemptions from development charges prompts policy review by city staff

KELOWNA - It’s the third micro suite project to come before Kelowna city council in the last month and there’s already concerns about the latest housing trend. Councillor Luke Stack says micro suites are exempt from development cost charges under a provincial policy. It means the city can't collect money from the developers to help...

Orchards Walk turns focus to seniors

KAMLOOPS - A development at the east end of Valleyview continues to grow at a quick rate with a 193-unit seniors' housing development next on the agenda for the ever-growing neighbourhood of Orchards Walk. The independent living complex, which developers are currently seeking a development permit for, will be situated on just over 15 hectares...

Half of 2014 development on South Shore

KAMLOOPS - The number of lots created over the past several years has continued to decrease, leaving 2014 well behind the 10-year average of 392 new lots. With about 200 new lots created in 2014, last year had the second lowest number of lots created in the past 10 years and was well behind the...

Vernon sees strongest housing starts in years

VERNON - The City of Vernon is boasting its highest number of housing starts in six years. There were 255 housing starts in 2014, the highest number since 2008, which saw 368 starts.  Meanwhile, overall building permit values jumped to $93 million, almost doubling the $50 million in 2013. It’s all good news in the...

Parking the tipping point for micro-suite apartment approval

KELOWNA - For such small suites, Kelowna city council has some big problems with a high-density apartment building proposed for Dickson Avenue near the Landmark complex. Designs submitted by the developer Dickson Avenue Holdings call for 90 suites, about half of which would be 29 square metres with one parking space included for each unit....

Developers sue after Salmon Arm property buy turns sour

SALMON ARM - A multi-million dollar lawsuit is underway after a trio of developers found out the property they bought in Salmon Arm wouldn’t be as profitable as they’d expected. Smart Centres Inc., Salmon Arm Shopping Centres Limited and Calloway REIT (Salmon Arm) Inc. are suing EBA Engineering Consultants, and three of its employees, over...

Fire in southwest hills almost out

PENTICTON - A large slash pile fire that started on Wednesday night on the Southwest hills of Penticton is nearly out after if was left to burn out naturally. The Penticton Indian Band fire crew stood by the fire that was approximately 100 square feet and 20 feet high but because of the size of...

Churchill development gets go ahead from council

PENTICTON - An unwanted double duplex development on Churchill Avenue will move forward despite disapproval from neighbours. Residents of Churchill Avenue erected signs in protest of the development that was the subject of a public hearing Monday night. Residents raised concerns of traffic, parking and the style of housing. Coun. Helena Konanz asked staff to...

Residents protest duplex development with signs

PENTICTON - Residents of Churchill Avenue have erected signs in protest of the development of a double-duplex on their street — an issue that will be discussed during a public hearing and Penticton city council meeting next week. The property at 701 Churchill Ave. is being developed by local developer Schoenne Homes. The development requires...

Penticton open for business: ranking

PENTICTON - Penticton has been ranked as one of the province’s top three entrepreneurial cities, and amongst the top 20 in Canada. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business released a report called Canada’s Entrepreneurial Commutities which studied municipalities with populations of 20,000 or more and ranked them based on 14 indicators including, industrial diversity, representation...

Multi-family developments on rise in Kamloops

KAMLOOPS - Requests to build more than 90 housing units were before council this week as developers look to move forward on projects around the city. Projects for the industrial area of McGill Road, on Tranquille Road in Brocklehurst, downtown Battle Street and Qu’Appelle Boulevard in Juniper Ridge were all up for discussion Tuesday. Council...

A little less housing but more happy residents for Scott Avenue

PENTICTON - The residents of Scott Avenue can breathe a sigh of relief knowing an undesired rental property will not be built on their street. Council made a decision this week to nix a plan that’s been in the works for over two years. A third public hearing was held at City Hall Monday night...

Development director leaves city job to take over campus position

PENTICTON - The city will lose one of its greatest assets when development planner Anthony Haddad heads north to work on the expansion of the UBC Okanagan campus. Haddad leaves for his new position as the director of campus planning and development at UBC Okanagan in Kelowna, in a few weeks time. Haddad has been...

Residents tell council to fix existing problem before development makes it worse

PENTICTON - Neighbours of a proposed development property raised existing traffic and parking issues with council, and said it’s a problem that needs to be dealt with now rather than later. Neighbours who came forward during a public hearing Monday night said they are pro-development but are concerned about the increase in traffic the new...