The City of Kamloops is looking to reclassify what can be built in park space across the city.

As part of a widespread zoning change, for zoning bylaw 55, a convention centre, civic centre or cultural centre would be permitted uses in park space, anywhere in the city.

Councillor Denis Walsh says this zoning change would affect a parking lot behind the Sandman Centre. The lot is zoned C9, for a hotel or convention centre, which was put in place in 2005 when a hotel was planned there before it eventually fell through. But under the zoning change, the C9 zone would be amalgamated with P1, which is park space.

Walsh was set to present a notice of motion at council on Tuesday, asking to revert the parking lot behind the rink to P1 to ensure no future redevelopment. But he withdrew the motion after learning the proposed changes for the P1 zone would actually allow certain development.

“There’s a public hearing coming up on Bylaw 55 which is to do with densification of our downtown, mostly. But in the document… there’s a revamping of what the P1 zoning means. And it’s no longer going to be just parks. It’s going to include the option to build convention centres or cultural centres,” Walsh says.

“So even if I won my motion and had it changed from C9 to P1, it’s really not going to solve my problem.”

The 300-page report showing what changes would be included in zoning bylaw 55 can be found here.

Another change being proposed in the bylaw is to rezone motels on Columbia Street West, which would allow those motels to redevelop into multi-family housing with potential for ground-floor commercial space.

Other changes in the bylaw would allow garden suites in Dallas, parts of Juniper and Glenmohr Estates in Aberdeen. More density would also be allowed in areas where affordable housing is proposed. Electric vehicle charging parking stalls would also be incentivized, with parking stall requirements reduced in new buildings where those are proposed.

A public hearing on the proposed zoning bylaw changes will happen next Tuesday, Sept. 28.

Separately, Walsh says the city wants to expand its revitalization tax exemption (RTE) bylaw to include the back Sandman Centre parking lot, which he says would encourage developers to build on it. The RTE gives a 10-year break on municipal property taxes for certain new buildings in certain areas of the city.

At this point, Walsh, and others, have told NL News they are not aware of plans to redevelop the parking lot.