District of West Kelowna Westbank Centre Revitalization Plan - Phases 2 and 3
Type of initiative
FCM Green Municipal Fund - Plans, Studies, Pilots
Sector
Multi-sector (Plans)
Project value$127,810
Project Type
Plan
Sub Sector
Sustainable Neighbourhoods
Grant amount$47,905
Program type
GMF
Municipality
City of West Kelowna, BC
Status
Fully Disbursed
Population
36,078
Project timeline
2010 - 2011
Project number
11027
Description
The District of West Kelowna will undertake the Westbank Centre Revitalization Plan (WCRP) to improve an historic but now declining central neighbourhood. The construction of BC Route 97C in 1990 and the subsequent development of suburban shopping malls have had a dramatic impact on the Westbank Centre community. What was once a vibrant Main Street and town centre is now a struggling commercial area that is unfriendly to pedestrians and cyclists. Council has made the WCRP its top strategic priority in 2011, with the goal of developing an action-oriented vision for the Westbank Centre.
Public consultations associated with a review of the district's Official Community Plan (OCP), important public investment projects that have occurred within the area, and recent interest in a proposed B.C. Ministry of Health Centre and several mixed-use developments, have all served to highlight the potential of this historic neighbourhood. The OCP will provide strong support for the preservation of the district's heritage and valuable tools to develop a strong vision for the Westbank Centre. The OCP will also recognize the important role that the Westbank Centre’s social and economic viability plays in the district's future.
West Kelowna has hired a multi-disciplinary consulting consortium, which includes one of B.C.'s top sustainable planning teams. The work plan employs a phased approach that features extensive public and stakeholder consultation, coordination with existing plans and policies, land use and zoning analysis, the creation of a Business Improvement Area, and an assessment of the area’s capacity for growth and development.
The WCRP is innovative in its consideration of the district’s economic reality, use of agri-urbanism principles (e.g. farmers’ markets, 100 Mile Diet), level of public consultation and transit-oriented design, and could offer best practices for other Canadian municipalities.
(Project description from original funding application)
Applicant
City of West Kelowna, BC