The City of Kelowna needs steady, healthy growth. A city contains buildings, sewers and roads, but first and foremost, a city must be a community.

Luke has been actively involved in building healthy communities for many years. It is important to me, that as Kelowna grows, it remains a place that people desire to live.

• Inclusive: Communities must be inclusive. All citizens should feel welcome
  • Welcome diversity and celebrate our differences.
  • Promote understanding and acceptance between all citizens of our City.

• Integrated: Each neighborhood should have provisions for care-homes, affordable housing options, open space, daycare services, public schools, commerce and shopping.
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  • Zoning is an important tool that will encourage integration. I look forward to reviewing zoning bylaws in 2012.
    
  • The new Official Community Plan (OCP 2030) has now been adopted. For the last three years staff and Council have worked to develop an updated relevant OCP for a sustanable Kelowna.
    
  • Daycare services are in short supply in Kelowna. I support the expansion of daycare services throughout the City

• Arts and Culture: Healthy communities include public access to the arts, culture and community events.

• Business and Employment: People need access to good jobs. A healthy community must include a variety of employment opportunities.
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  • We must continue to promote the region as a great place to do business through the Economic Development Commission.
    
  • The continued expansion of the Kelowna International Airport provides important infrastructure for business expansion. Continue to support the YLW drive to 1.6 million passengers per year.
    
  • UBCO expansion will provide future business and academic opportunities
  • Transportation improvements (New roads, expanded public transit, new bicycle paths etc.) are important infrastructure improvements that will provide business the tools to expand.
    
  • We must create a healthy business climate so that business can grow, prosper and ultimately pay quality wages to employees.
  • Keep Business taxes at reasonable levels. Kelowna business tax is approximately 2.37 X the residential tax rate. Kelowna's business tax rate is one of the lowest in BC. (Less than 3X is is considered business friendly)
    
  • Healthy business will lead to healthy employment.
  
  
  
• Safety and Security: Everyone needs to feel safe when we walk the streets of Kelowna.
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  • Recent gang violence in Kelowna is a reminder that we need to remain vigilent in developing a strong and effective Protective Services plan.
  • We must take measures to ensure women and seniors feel safe.
  • We need to minimize crime through good environmental design.
    
  • The Kelowna RCMP and the Kelowna Fire Department must be adequately resourced to do the job that is asked of them.
  
  
  
• Affordable Housing: A good community must have a variety of housing options for its citizens.
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  • Work in partnership with senior levels of government by providing City owned lots for new housing projects.Five lots have been committed by the City of Kelowna. I remain committed to see these much needed projects through to completion.
    
  • Implement policy that promotes the expansion of affordable housing supply (Both market and non-market affordable housing)
  • I support a “housing first” policy for the homeless. Providing a short-term clean and safe place to live will give people the best chance of becoming productive members of society. I am supportive of the new John Howard Project under construction in Rutland called "Newgate"; the CMHA project called "Willowbridge" which opened in 2010, and the NOW Canada project on Tutt Street which opened in 2011.
    
  • Encourage the expansion of rental housing in Kelowna. The last three years have seen the expansion of new rental housing in Kelowna. The vacancy rate has significantly improved since 2008.  Where it once was "nil" the vacancy rate is now at 6.5%. Vacancy rates have improved relieving some of the pressure for renters.  Rental rates have modified, but still remain high for many renters.
    
  • Explore creative solutions to affordability with the local development community.
    • Many local developers are very concerned about the affordability of housing in this region.
    • Encourage developers to build "attainable" town homes that working people can afford to buy.
    • Rental housing - Support developers as they expand the rental housing supply in the City

• "Steady, healthy growth”
  The fertile valley and natural beauty of Kelowna has brought growth and prosperity to this area. It is critical that the City continue to grow in such a way as to protect the very attributes that have attracted people here in the first place.
  
  • Densify town centers and expand public transit:
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    • Promote civic design principles that reduce dependence on the automobile and increase pedestrian access to shops and services.
    • Kelowna must take active steps to encourage a "pedestrian priority over vehicles" in town centres.
    • Minimize urban sprawl. This has been acknowledged in the new 2030 OCP adopted in 2011. 
    • Much of the land within the Kelowna is protected farmland within the Agricultural Land Reserve (about 40%) as well as Kelowna is surrounded by hills and mountains. As a result of protected farmland, the city has expanded up hillsides at a rapid rate. This hillside development brings its own challenges. Homes are built in areas that are surrounded by forests. Fire risks increase, and the natural landscape, eco-system and beauty of the valley are compromised. In 2009 I supported adopting hillside development guidelines to promote sensitive development of these hillside areas.
    • Redevelop areas within the current City limits. There are many areas within the City limits that can re-developed and revitalized. These areas already have the necessary infrastructure. This type of redevelopment has the least impact on the environment and should be encouraged.
    • New development should be sensitively integrated to add value to existing neighborhoods. In attempts to densify we must be careful not to lose the sense of community many neighborhoods have established. It is a challenge to find the right balance.
      
    • Explore ways to develop community centers in neighborhoods. I will dialogue with the School District to look for opportunities to share school buildings with neighborhood associations. 
      
• Parks and Recreation
  • Establish a Recreational Park in Glenmore.
  • Initiate a new plan for Cedar Avenue Park in the Pandosy town centre.
  • Complete the new Senior's Centre at Parkinson Recreation Centre.
  • Phase II of Stuart Park in downtown Kelowna
  • Begin a new Greenway along Belleview Creek.
  • Expand Public access to the waterfront. Whenever an opportunity arises to secure lakefront for the benefit of the entire community it should be pursued.
  • Protect the unique rural-urban mix of the City
  • Protect natural sensitive wetland habitat
    
    
• Public Spaces - Farmer's Market - Jim Stuart Park outdoor ice rink.
  • Promote the expansion of public markets, “people places”, shopping hubs, parks and recreational facilities.
  • Insure all public spaces are accessible for all citizens of Kelowna.
  • Promote a vibrant accessible and year-round  farmer's market
    
  • Encourage locally grown produce - this provides economic opportunities for farmers, healthy food and food security.
  • Develop more public plazas and gathering places.
    
    
• Environmental:
  • Expand recycling programs - encourage water and land conservation measures.
  • Reduce carbon dioxide emissions (It is now Kelowna policy is to reduce Green house gas emmissions by 33% from 2007 levels.) 
  • Reduce noise pollution on City streets and on Okanagan Lake. I support implenting a new civic by-law that fines people for making excessive noise.
    
  • Work with the Okanagan Basin Water Authority to protect Kelowna's water supply.
    
    
• Streamline the Zoning and Development Permit approval process.
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  • Explore implementing a Design Panel for significant architectural buildings and designated zones of the City.
  • Developing land is a complex and arduous process. It can take years to work through the regulatory process to bring a site to the point of construction. Long development time-lines lead to increased costs for the home buyer. The City must be sensitive to the challenges faced by new development and strive to achieve timely review and processing of applications.
  • Maintain Development Cost Charges at a comparable level to other mid sized cities in BC.
  • The Advisory Planning Commission is one of the hardest working committees at the City of Kelowna. I support a review of the mandate of the Commission to ensure that the APC’s efforts effectively assist City Council in decision making.  It is very important that City Staff, the APC and City Council walk in step as they process and review development applications. 
  
  
• Transportation:  Expand public transit and continue to expand safe bicycle lanes throughout the city.
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  • Promote a road and bicycle connection from the Glenmore Valley to UBCO. This is a vital link that is long overdue. The City has taken practical steps duriong my term with the creation of John Hindle Drive, but I look forward to the day UBCO is connected to Glenmore by this new road.
    
  • Promote Phase II of the North-end connector from Spall Road to Highway 33. Continue on with the development of the  bicycle path along this corridor.