Vernon’s mayor is increasingly concerned the
official community plan review is ignoring youth and their need for jobs. Mayor Wayne Lippert was shocked to learn Monday that OCP focus group discussions included a lack of housing for young people, but there was no mention of employment. “A majority are going out of town because the money is somewhere else,” he told his colleagues. “That’s an area we need to look at a little harder than just housing.” For Lippert, there is a need to attract good-paying jobs to Vernon so young people can stay here, purchase homes and raise families. “It’s very important. If we want to keep youth here, we have to look at it,” he said.
official community plan review is ignoring youth and their need for jobs. Mayor Wayne Lippert was shocked to learn Monday that OCP focus group discussions included a lack of housing for young people, but there was no mention of employment. “A majority are going out of town because the money is somewhere else,” he told his colleagues. “That’s an area we need to look at a little harder than just housing.” For Lippert, there is a need to attract good-paying jobs to Vernon so young people can stay here, purchase homes and raise families. “It’s very important. If we want to keep youth here, we have to look at it,” he said. Council was told Monday that the focus group pertaining to youth issues had a poor turnout and other options are being considered to get youth involved in the review. As part of creating a new 2008 OCP, a consultant looked at the status of industrial and commercial land in Vernon. In the past decade, only 30,000-square-feet of new industrial space has been developed, while there has been 2.4 million-square-feet of commercial space in the last five years at the north end of town. Among the challenges for establishing industry is the cost of land, the pressure to rezone it for commercial and conflicts with other land uses such as agriculture. City staff and consultants have also looked at a number of growth scenarios for Vernon and the capacity for more residential housing.
It was suggested that East Hill is already at 77 per cent of maximum density, but that brought 
protests from Coun. Barry Beardsell. “If you asked people in East Hill, they’d say, ‘Go to hell. We are at maximum capacity now,” he said. Beardsell also raised concerns about housing density in Okanagan Landing, where residents have hotly debated the issue over the years. And while there is the perception that high-rise towers and multiple-unit projects will allow more people to have homes, the cost of land and construction may prevent that. “It may not reduce the cost of housing,” said Coun. Patrick Nicol.
protests from Coun. Barry Beardsell. “If you asked people in East Hill, they’d say, ‘Go to hell. We are at maximum capacity now,” he said. Beardsell also raised concerns about housing density in Okanagan Landing, where residents have hotly debated the issue over the years. And while there is the perception that high-rise towers and multiple-unit projects will allow more people to have homes, the cost of land and construction may prevent that. “It may not reduce the cost of housing,” said Coun. Patrick Nicol. 
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