The City of Kamloops will be looking at potential traffic impacts if thousands of people were to live at Cooney Bay.

The Tranquille on the Lake development proposed to develop on 490 acres of land at the northwest edge of city limits, where several thousand housing units and agricultural and commercial uses are all being proposed.

City councillor Kathy Sinclair says the city has been focusing on densifying, which she says makes more sense from a financial standpoint.

“If a city keeps spreading out, then the costs go up. If you’re having to service transit all over – from the farthest reaches of the city to the core – it becomes a costly endeavour. Water and sewer, and all of that,” Sinclair says.

“We’ve really been focusing as a city on densifying. So densifying our downtown and core North Shore areas… Those are all factors that we’re looking at, and will be looking at as Tranquille on the Lake plans develop.”

The development needs approval from the Agricultural Land Commission and rezoning approval from the City of Kamloops. If the ALC gives support, a public hearing would happen before any decision by Kamloops council.

If the development proposal is approved, building homes at Cooney Bay would likely happen over a stretch of about 20 years. By then, the city is hoping a fourth river crossing could be in place, connecting near the Kamloops Airport on the north side.