A 650-home project planned for the boundary of sa国际传媒 and Lake Country will only worsen existing traffic congestion at the corner of Highway 97 and Beaver Lake Road, officials acknowledge.听
But the developer has agreed to help fund future upgrades to nearby Commonwealth Road that should draw vehicles away from the busy intersection.听
Partly as a result of that commitment, sa国际传媒 city planners will recommend to councillors at a meeting on Jan. 21 that approval be given for the new housing project, which would occupy a triangular-shaped property between the Okanagan Rail Trail and Bottom Wood Lake Road.听
The development, on the site of a former packinghouse, would straddle industrial properties that are currently within both the City of sa国际传媒 and the town of Lake Country. But sa国际传媒 officials intend to transfer those lands within the citysa国际传媒 jurisdiction to Lake Country, pending the expected approval of the provincial government.听
鈥淭he parcels within the City of sa国际传媒 are irregular and narrow, and do not support development of a viable industrial site,鈥 reads part of a staff report to council.听
However, construction of such a large new residential development will funnel more cars and trucks directly into an already notorious local bottleneck. 鈥淎 preliminary traffic assessment showed that the trips generated from this development would only add to the existing traffic congestion at Beaver Lake Road and Highway 97,鈥 the report states.听
In the past, the government has raised the idea of building an interchange at the corner but funding has never materialized.听
To ensure the Ministry of Transportation did not use its authority to block the proposed residential development, its builder has agreed to make a contribution to the planned future connection of Commonwealth Road to Jim Bailey Road.听
That new link, the timetable for which is currently uncertain, will draw a lot of heavy truck traffic that currently uses Beaver Lake Road to access a major industrial area, officials say. It will 鈥渁lleviate the significant traffic bottleneck that currently exists at the Beaver Lake Road and Highway 97 intersection,鈥 the report to council states.听
A rejigging of the erratic-seeming boundary between Lake Country and sa国际传媒 was agreed by representatives of the two municipalities in a 2022 memorandum of understanding.听
The Okanagan Indian Band, which is also a signatory to the agreement, would need to give its permission for extension of Commonwealth Road to connect with Jim Bailey Road. One of the reasons itsa国际传媒 expected to do so is to get easier access to municipal water and sewer lines that would help with the development on reserve land.听
Interested members of the community can address sa国际传媒 councillors on the 650-home development plan at the Jan. 21 meeting. The expected start time for the agenda item is 4 p.m.听
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