A massive redevelopment of sa国际传媒sa国际传媒 former downtown mill site would preserve some of its industrial history while focusing on new residential and commercial use of the 40-acre waterfront property.

Remnants of old buildings like a machine shop built in the 1930s would exist alongside high-rises. A hotel would rise from the No. 5 shed, a large wooden structure where lumber was stored as far back as the 鈥40s. And neighbourhoods and public plazas would have names and features that harken back to the sawmilling days.听

Pedestrian paths would bisect the site, providing connections to and from the downtown north end and Manhattan Point. A long walkway is planned for the shore of Okanagan Lake, and an environmental restoration of Sutherland Bay could make it suitable for swimming once again.听

Seven of the sitesa国际传媒 40 acres would be transferred to city ownership for use as park, and courtyards open to the public would be built on top of parkades. While most housing is expected to be market-based and upscale, it will also include a currently unspecified number of suites said to be affordable.听

And while the ambitious build out of the site, owned by the Thorlakson family of Vernon, would take 30 years, some public access to the property could come as soon as next summer.听

Shipping containers, also known as seacans, will be placed on the property and used as places where people can get something to eat and drink. Such a 鈥楥ontainer Village鈥 is said to be similar to early public-friendly redevelopment approaches taken at former industrial sites in Vancouver and Bellingham, WA

鈥淭he villages are movable and provide opportunities for food and beverage, flexible retail, live music, and events programming,鈥 reads part of a city staff report going to council on Monday.听

Once construction actually begins, the initial focus will be on the hotel, public plazas, and waterfront amenities. 鈥淧ublic amenities and commercial frontages built in the early phases will animate the area and support the long-term growth and density of the site,鈥 the report states.听

The concept plan shows what appear to be about two-dozen highrises, although details on building heights and location must still be worked out, and some lower-profile residential buildings are included. Estimates are for up to 3,500 new homes.听

sa国际传媒 a dozen old buildings and structures would be retained and repurposed in some form.听For example, a three-storey 'chip tower', through which wood chips were removed from the sawmill, would be converted into a 'play structure' and lookout point. A public promenade called the 'Selkirk Spillway', named for a long-gone city street, would feature a 'floodable planted terrace where people could access the water during all seasons of lake fluctuation'.听

Lumber processing on the waterfront site dates back almost a century and for decades the mill was one of the largest and most economically-significant employers in sa国际传媒. At one time, it employed 700 people who worked shifts around the clock, seven days a week.听

But the operation closed in early 2020, with the Thorlakson family saying it was no longer viable, and the remaining 200 millworkers were out of a job. The company blamed high stumpage fees, high taxes, low prices for lumber, tariffs on exports to the U.S., and soft market demand from Canadian and U.S. construction companies.听

鈥淚tsa国际传媒 a blow to the community, another sign the forestry industry is in dire straits and a harbinger the province is no longer a primary resource powerhouse,鈥 The Daily Courier wrote in an editorial at the time of the mill's closure.

Since then, most buildings on the site have been demolished and an inspection overseen by the province has cleared it for redevelopment. Planning began in earnest more than two years ago, with the Thorlakson family paying for the work that is being overseen by city staff and periodically brought to council for review and comment.听

The recommendation for council at Mondaysa国际传媒 meeting is to receive the concept plan and authorize the technical studies necessary before completion of a final plan. The report to council gives no timeline for when a development permit might actually be issued.听

Staff recommend council endorse the concept plan, saying it achieves many city goals, such as providing new housing, creating a transit-oriented neighborhood, building a vibrant new residential and commercial district, ensuring public access, and reclaiming disused land. Staff say the project could be 鈥渨orld class鈥.听

鈥淭he (millsa国际传媒) closure represents a 40-acre opportunity to reshape a prominent site north of sa国际传媒sa国际传媒 downtown and adjacent to Okanagan Lake. An opportunity of this scale is rare and holds the potential to make a significant impact on the city,鈥 the report states.听

An earlier plan for the old mill site drew a mixed response from council in September 2023.

鈥淚 want to thank our guests for a real wonderful presentation,鈥 Coun. Charlie Hodge said. 鈥淚 think you鈥檝e done a wonderful job and it just reminds me how proud I am to be a sa国际传媒 kid. Great job, I love it.鈥

But other councillors said there wasn鈥檛 enough green space and expressed concern about the siting of towers and low-rises that could contain as many as 3,500 homes.

鈥淭heresa国际传媒 a ton of towers in the conceptual massing and just little pockets of trees and park space. It doesn鈥檛 seem like theresa国际传媒 a lot of breathable area,鈥 Coun. Loyal Wooldridge said. 鈥淲hen I look at this plans, these concepts, I find them really underwhelming compared to what this site could be.鈥

Council heard at the time from Tolko representative Joost Bakker that the Thorlakson family see the development as more than just a money-making endeavour. 鈥淪ome of the sites (within the property boundaries) may be sold and developed individually but they definitely have, at this time anyway, a very strong interest in making this a legacy project for the Thorlakson family.鈥