Redevelopment plan will guide overhaul of former Tolko mill site

City staff will work alongside architects retained by Tolko to help create a comprehensive plan to guide the redevelopment of the former mill site in Kelowna.

Lawmakers unanimously approved the move to begin what many called an exciting endeavour that will forever reshape the city’s downtown core.

“The Mill Site is an extraordinary opportunity to realize a comprehensively planned (or designed) mixed-use, sustainable urban development,” wrote architect Joost Bakker of Dialog Designs in a letter to city staff.

“With downtown only a short walk away, close connections to the rail trail network and a site steeped in Kelowna’s industrial history, the site presents a tremendous future for Kelowna.”

The mill site area redevelopment plan will guide everything from building height to housing and affordability, as well as parks, heritage conservation, and recreation and cultural facility placement.

Much of the work will be done in tandem with the North End Plan (NEP) already underway. There will be several points where the public will be able to provide feedback.

Indigenous and environment engagement will be key, as well as incorporating any plans for the BC Tree Fruits site. That chunk of land has recently been sold and city planners expect redevelopment plans will come forward in the near future.

The project will move through four key stages. Staff expect a few early concepts of the project to come back to council this summer.

“It’s quite exciting from my perspective,” Coun. Luke Stack said. “There’s been a lot of speculation [as to what] might happen on this site. I wasn’t sure if we would see it in this council. I’m actually very enthusiastically looking forward to seeing what could come forward.”

Coun. Gail Given echoed a similar sentiment, saying the redevelopment will “reshape what the downtown of Kelowna looks like.”

“The scope of how significantly this will change our community can’t be understated and I’m fairly certain we will see a robust public involvement and engagement in the process.”

The 40-acre mill site was shuttered in early-2020 by Tolko after opening in the 1930s.

The company was granted an extension in May by the B.C. Ministry of Environment and Climate Change to have the site decommissioned by Feb. 20, 2022, which includes a study to see if the site has any environmental or public health risks.