Consultation for this project concluded October 15, 2023. Thank you for your participation!

Read the engagement summary report. Public input, along with technical analysis, direction from the Provincial government, and other considerations, will be used to inform infill recommendations which are expected to be brought to Council early in 2024.

Kelowna is one of Canada’s fastest growing cities. We are currently experiencing a shortage of housing and, at the same time, expecting another 50,000 people to call Kelowna home within the next 20 years.

As an early action item of the 2040 Official Community Plan, and in alignment with housing policies being implemented by the provincial government, the Infill Options Project is exploring changes to regulations to allow more infill housing (duplexes, multiplexes, rowhouses, and townhouses) throughout Core Area neighbourhoods to support the needs of our growing community.

Ways the public got involved

Residents were invited to share their input via survey in Fall 2023.

What is infill?

IInfill is made up of housing types in between single-detached homes and mid-to high-rise apartment buildings.

Infill may also be referred to as the “missing middle” because most cities in North America, including Kelowna, have prioritized other forms of housing over infill. Because infill forms are underrepresented, cities have seen growth accommodated through a combination of highrises and single-detached homes with limited options in the middle of these two extremes.

What is the Infill Options Project?

The Infill Options project aims to allow more types of infill throughout Kelowna in response to the pressing need for more supply of housing as well as the need for more diverse housing types. The Infill Options project focuses on expanding permissions for "ground-oriented infill" (such as a duplexes, triplex, fourplex, or townhouses) across Kelowna's Core Area neighbourhoods. In these buildings, each unit has a door at grade, and there are no common hallways, entrances, or elevators. This type of housing usually uses the existing lot and street patterns established in the past.

This project does not include apartment buildings.

Where is the Core Area?

The Core Area includes neighbourhoods that are surrounding and between the 5 Urban Centres within the central part of the city as shown in the map here. Core area neighbourhoods are intended to provide a variety of housing forms focused primarily on ground-oriented housing.

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Why infill is important

The City's 2040 Official Community Plan, which underwent extensive public consultation and was adopted by City Council in 2022, identifies that 25% of this growth will take place in existing Core Area neighbourhoods through ground-oriented infill housing.

Infill has a critical role to play in meeting our community’s housing, infrastructure and climate priorities because:

• It ensures there are more housing options that meet the diverse needs of community members who live and work in Kelowna
• Housing options in low density areas are currently limited and the cost of ownership is out of reach for most residents
• It reduces impacts of supply constraints on the housing system
• It adds growth where it makes the most sense - close to existing infrastructure, transit, services and amenities
• Infill development is far more financially and environmentally sustainable than suburban development

In locations around the world where infill housing has been permitted, research has found that the cost of purchasing a house has decreased and housing has become more attainable over time.

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