Privacy concerns over West Kelowna infill housing bylaw quelled
Privacy concerns over West Kelowna infill housing bylaw quelled
Publish Date: 2026-06-25 18:32:00
Source Domain: lakecountrycalendar.com
Privacy concerns over West Kelowna infill housing bylaw quelled
Published 3:30 pm Thursday, June 25, 2026
West Kelowna council is trying to diversify housing by removing regulations for infill housing.
On Tuesday, June 23, West Kelowna Council voted unanimously to approve the changes listed below:
- Secondary suites: Increase maximum size from 100 m² to 110 m² and remove the “subordinate appearance” entrance requirement;
- Duplexes and townhouses: Update definitions to allow shared walls or floors and increase height in the R3 Zone to 11.0 m; Zoning Bylaw Amendments to Remove Barriers to Infill Housing (Public Hearing)
- Apartments: Allow ground floor units with individual entrances while maintaining common access; and
- Other amendments: Improve clarity, address implementation issues, and update administrative provisions.
“These amendments are intended to reduce regulatory barriers, improve flexibility, and support a broader range of housing forms,” city staff wrote in a report to council.
The vote following a short public hearing, in which two residents in the Lakeview Heights neighbourhood had issues with the amendments.
The speakers pointed an amendment in the proposed changes which read “Carriage homes: Remove additional siting and screening restrictions for decks or balconies over 0.6 m in height and rooftop patios, and allow carriage homes on parcels with secondary suites.”
The speakers worried the amendments would lead to pose a privacy risk to residents in the area.
Councillor Rick de Jong shared similar sentiments.
“We should be supporting screening and supporting sensitive development. Allowing screening and no screening on a carriage home is not what I call sensitive development,” he said, adding that he and Councillor Garrett Millsap previously argued to strike that part of the amendments.
After hearing the…
