Process begins to retain Kal Beach as public park

By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Updated: July 15, 2013 4:27 PM
Steps are being taken to ensure a popular park remains public. City of Vernon council agreed Monday to apply to Coldstream to have Kal Beach rezoned to parks and open space. "We're not making any more beaches. I'm passionate that this stay in the public domain," said Coun. Juliette Cunningham, who initiated the matter. While Kal Beach is in Coldstream, it is owned by the city and is currently zoned rural two, which could have allowed for development. The city will eventually transfer ownership of Kal Beach to the Regional District of North Okanagan as part of Greater Vernon's parks restructuring. See more details in Wednesday's Morning Star.
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  City Seeks Rezoning of Kal Beach
Written by Peter McIntyre 107.5 KISSFM  Tuesday, 16 July 2013 06:03 

Kal Beach

The wheels are in motion to ensure Kal Beach remains a public park forever. Vernon council will apply to Coldstream to rezone the site from the current Rural Two ---which allows development--- to P-1 parks and open space. Councillor Juliette Cunningham says it will put the community more in control of the land. "It makes it very difficult for future councils to change that because they would have to go to the community to have that removed as public space," Cunningham tells Kiss FM. Cunningham says its a show of good faith on the part of the city. "The District of Coldstream and Areas B and C have wanted to do this for some time. There was a reluctance in the past from the city of Vernon that we not do that, so there's been a reluctance from our partners to invest in that  (facility)." Councillor Bob Spiers was the lone opponent, not to the rezoning, but to Vernon initiating the rezoning, which he feels Coldstream could do. "We might end with costs involved, and we might end up utilizing staff time to make the application to rezone it. It's a waste of resources," says Spiers. The beach and parking lot are located in Coldstream but owned by the city of Vernon which will be transferring ownership to the regional district as part of a new regional parks deal signed last fall. "Reasonable people in the community might say, 'Well you signed it in November, why didn't you move forward with the rezoning right after that and get the process moving?', so I think this is a necessary step to get the process moving," says Vernon Mayor Rob Sawatzky.