Large development near KRCC gets council approval after lengthy public hearing

Jun 10, 2026 | 4:23 PM

KAMLOOPS — A public hearing lasted more than three hours Tuesday (June 9) night as opposition and support for a large-scale development out past the Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre (KRCC) was heard. It’s the second time council had seen the proposal after refusing it earlier this year. The developer made several adjustments to the plan, making council more comfortable with proceeding to the public hearing Tuesday.

Council previously had concerns about heavy industry and housing on the site adjacent to Kenna Cartwright Park. With that in mind, the developers dropped plans to light industry only and lowered the residential unit count from 1,350 to 900.

“At the end of the day, this piece of land was already zoned for heavy-to-light industry. What they were adding was housing,” said Councillor Bill Sarai, who chaired the public hearing. “And I think that was a bit of something that we had to wrap our heads around with how this is going to fit. Do we have the infrastructure there? At the end of the day, the developer is paying for so much of the infrastructure and the costs that we, the city, will benefit from for years to come.”

One of the main points of contention from the public was the inclusion of a potential AI data centre.

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“They brought forward what their vision is and they included it and there were some good discussions. It caused some difficulties chairing it because the application was specifically for one part of the amendment and rezoning but we navigated through it. And I think it was important for the public to be heard,” added Sarai.

Council passed the development unanimously, 7-0, with Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson absent and Councillor Mike O’Reilly abstaining due to a declared conflict. The project, along with additional growth in the area, will trigger infrastructure upgrades.

“It’s our fastest-growing area of the town,” noted Sarai. “There was a comment last night about urban sprawl, and how we are going wider and wider from the city. I made the comment last night, if you put the dot in the middle of the city of Kamloops, this project is closer than Westsyde, closer than Dallas, closer than Valleyview.”

City council spoke to the development helping increase the tax base of the city and bring new businesses and people to Kamloops.

“One of the highlights last night was Kenna Cartwright’s family has endorsed this project and, to me, that means a lot,” said Sarai.

by Michael Reeve

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Large development near KRCC gets council approval after lengthy public hearing

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