Why 23 trees in Kelowna’s North End could face the axe

Constant growth in Kelowna and increased housing prices means more homes need to be built, but one local group is urging the city to balance development with nature.

A new project in Kelowna’s North End called Pleasantvale 2, will provide more affordable housing, but the proposed plans call for the removal of several mature trees.

A development permit has been issued, but other approvals from city law makers are required before construction can begin.

“There’s 27 trees on this property and with the development proposal that’s been put forward, they’re only saving four,” Bev Kalmakoff, chair of the Kelowna Tree Protectors (KTP), told Kelowna10. “That’s a huge loss of tree canopy for this neighbourhood.”

She said the concern of the group isn’t just about retaining the beauty and the shade these mature trees bring, but also the positive environmental impact.

“The trees are homes for animals, for birds, for insects,” she explained. “We’d just like to see more of the trees saved when the development is approved.”

BC Housing, the developers behind the proposed building, suggests it will plant two young trees for each tree they remove, but Kalmakoff said that number isn’t enough. She said she’d like to see the circumference of the replacements equal the circumference of the big trees that are being removed.

Lisa Masini, a North End resident, said she wants to see a balance between affordable housing and saving the existing trees. Masini studied landscape design through the University of Guelph and has a certificate in landscape horticulture from Okanagan College.

“It’s definitely important that low-income housing is built for people who need it, that’s a real need in Kelowna right now,” Masini told Kelowna10. “We’re not opposed to low-income housing being built on this corner.”

She said more trees could be saved with a few simple tweaks.

“One of the areas we’ve seen that may enable us to save more of the trees is reduce a little bit of the parking and perhaps take a few spots allocated to parking, and replace that with a car share parking spot,” she explained.

“It does not make sense to tear down trees to provide more parking spots to create more carbon emissions and cars on the road.”

The KTP have launched an online petition to prioritize “the role of mature trees in the livability of our city and communicates our shared concern for the rapid loss of large trees from private land due to development pressures.”

In a statement to Kelowna10, BC Housing said the original plans for Pleasantvale 2 saw the removal of all the existing trees.

But once BC Housing acquired the land, it and "its partners were able to reconfigure the plan to create seven additional housing units and to retain four of the heritage trees on the northwest corner of the site."

"The plan for Pleasantvale 2 also includes planting approximately two times the number of trees to be removed, with the size of the new trees at the time of planting sufficient to create an instant landscape," it added.

It said the organization works to maximize housing in every project, while developing designs that fit into the neighbourhood. It also works to protect existing trees where possible.

"The retention of existing, mature trees is often difficult, not just because the trees may conflict with the housing development plan, but also because the development of new infrastructure and buildings can create unsustainable stress on established root systems."