Changes to development applications and guidelines in KelownaÎÚÑ»´«Ã½™s Heritage Conservation Area go to council for approval at its Aug. 11 meeting
Staff is proposing updates to the Development Application and Heritage Procedures Bylaw, and the Official Community Plan (OCP).
The updates are aimed at modernizing how heritage properties are managed and developed, especially in light of new provincial housing legislation introduced in 2023 and rolled out in 2024.
Under the legislation, four and six units can be built on single-family lots depending on where they are in the city. Staff previously made an exception for Abbott and Marshall heritage areas by creating a Core Area - Heritage District (C-HER) zoning to allow only four units.
The changes outline how development should occur in heritage areas, aiming to balance preservation with new construction.
If approved, council would review more types of Heritage Alteration Permits that include variances (exceptions to rules like height, setbacks, and site coverage), while staff will still handle minor variances, especially when they help preserve heritage buildings or trees.
Heritage Revitalization Agreements, which involve larger changes like increased density or different land uses, will still require council approval.
Council has reviewed these proposals several times and asked staff to revise them based on public hearing feedback.
Several residents who live in the HCA have voiced their concern to council about the changes to the Heritage Procedures Bylaw and OCP.
At a June 17 public hearing, roughly two dozen speakers urged council to take a closer look at the proposed rules, raising concerns about increased density and potential impacts to the character of neighbourhoods on and around Abbott and Marshall streets.
Council delayed adopting the new development guidelines and will now consider approving them at its Aug. 11 meeting.