The dust has settled on an industrial project that has been in the works for five years.
The District of Lake Country has approved the rezoning of three Dick Road properties, totalling 11.24 hectares, from agricultural to industrial use for KonKast Ltd.
Lake Country council held a special meeting Tuesday, June 30, to adopt the zoning amendment, which staff recommended be approved.
The company is already operating a mine on the property, which is currently accessed off Okanagan Centre Road West.
A Mines Permit has been in place with the existing KonKast Ltd. operation and the District of Lake Country has not received complaints regarding the operation that has been running for years. District staff anticipated not much would change with the development of the project.
Last year, members of the public raised concerns around light pollution, traffic and safety and access onto Dick or Seaton roads.
“In general, it is likely that most of the traffic to the area will not necessarily be heavy trucks once the project is completed,” Lake Country’s senior planner Paul Dupuis said in a December 2019 report.
“Additionally, at full build out the likelihood is that noise, dust and dirt could be much better. Of course, this will depend on the use of the property, but the General Industrial uses found within the Zoning Bylaw are generally less impactful then the existing mining operation, KonKast Ltd. (gravel extraction).”
At full build out, “there is absolutely going to be more jobs in the community then what currently exist today,” the report reads.
“There is significant land as part of this proposal that could be home to a variety and number of businesses with various needs,” Dupuis said.
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