A new subdivision proposed in Juniper Ridge also proposes to pave most of the way for a second permanent road in and out of the neighbourhood.
The development company, Juniper West, is asking to build 200 single-family homes and 95 townhomes. The new homes would cover 25 hectares while 20 hectares would also be set aside as “open space” with no development, while a new park would also be included in the plans.
City of Kamloops director of development services, Marvin Kwiatkowski, says the most significant part of the project is that the developer will extend Qu’Appelle Boulevard further west, towards Rose Hill Road, meaning only Crown land would need to be dealt with to finish the new roadway.
“Access roads is a critical component. And what came up in this year is that we need to push the Qu’Appelle Boulevard extension through. That is one of the reasons also this is coming in advance to council, rather than in three-to-five years time.”
Eventually, Qu’Appelle Boulevard will be a second full-access road in and out of Juniper Ridge. It was part of the city’s 10-year plan before being reprioritized to build as soon as possible, after the Canada Day Juniper Ridge fire which exploited a lack of emergency routes in the community.
Kwiatkowski says this development proposal would be a “logical next step” for building new homes in Juniper Ridge, based on other projects that are in the works.
In March, the same developer was also approved to build a single-family subdivision with about 45 homes, and in June it gained approval for a single-family subdivision with about 100 homes.
An open house about the newly-proposed development was held on Sept. 28, according to city, which says the developer heard concerns about residential development, the impacts on wildlife and the need to preserve wildlife corridors, and about retaining trees.
The city says as a result of the public hearing, the developer is now proposing a 25-metre-wide “open space buffer” for wildlife on the southwest corner of the development, between Juniper and Rose Hill. Previously, that open space buffer would’ve only been six metres.
The proposed development will go to a public hearing on Nov. 2.
