Dead-end streets in Rose Hill will stay that way, even as Juniper Ridge grows.
Kamloops council has approved amendments to the city’s Transportation Master Plan, which clarifies that Qu’Appelle Boulevard will eventually extend to Rose Hill Road downhill of residential areas.
The city’s director of development services Marvin Kwiatkowski says this was a hot-button issue during a public hearing in March, about new development in Juniper. That public hearing lasted about an hour, before council approved a new single-family subdivision in Juniper West which will have 43 homes.
“There was concerns in the neighbourhood, in particular with Rose Hill. They weren’t sure what was going to happen with these future connections… That was the main concern with the residents… We’ve had numerous different maps that don’t really detail this, so we want to clarify really what that means.”” Kwiatkowski says.
“We actually met, staff did a Zoom call with the Rose Hill Neighbourhood Association. Most recently, they were very pleased to see we were going to come back and amend the plan.”
The amendment to the city’s plan means Coldwater Drive and High Canada Place will be connected only as an emergency access route, and that it will be gated. There will also be a limited access road or gated emergency access road between Galore Crescent and Rose Hill Road, down hill of the Qu’Appelle Boulevard extension.
Kwiatkowski says the Qu’Appelle Boulevard extension would work best for several reasons, saying it’s flatter and would have no blind corners.
Mayor Ken Christian thanked city staff for making the change in the city’s plans, acknowledging this has been a source of anxiety for some residents in Rose Hill.