Eco-Village Project

This is the main project page for the Eco-Village Project, which will be updated periodically as the project progresses. In the page below details of work to date, next steps, project overview and links to past staff reports and presentations can be found. 

A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document is linked below where you can find commonly asked questions answered. The table of contents is clickable to take you directly to the questions. If you have further questions please find the staff contact at the bottom of this page. 

ECO VILLAGE PUBLIC SURVEY

As part of the Open House a public survey is also open to the public to collect feedback on specific zoning requirements as presented at the Open House, and some design considerations.

The survey is now CLOSED. Thank you to all those who submitted responses. 

Eco Village Open House - Feb. 28, 2024

Project Overview

The District of Summerland is working to develop a set of zoning and design documents to support the conceptual design of the Eco Village, as directed by Council. In the Spring of 2021 Council directed staff to investigate the feasibility of an environmentally sensitive eco-village style development.

Since that time, two engagement sessions with the public have taken place, including adjacent landowners, recreational trail group stakeholders, and the Penticton Indian Band. A final Conceptual Plan for the Eco Village has been endorsed by Council (April 25 2022), and technical assessments on environmentally-sensitive habitat, geotechnical constraints, and significant cultural and heritage values have been developed.

The Project area is District-owned land located on Cartwright Mountain, across 13500 Prairie Valley Road, 12591 Morrow Avenue, and the Denike area on roughly 66 acres of land.



A timeline of work to date and into 2024 can be found below. 

Eco-Village Concept Plan

The District, along with our consultants MODUS Planning & Design and Association Engineering, have completed an Eco-Village Concept Plan that has been informed by engineering, environmental and urban design expertise, best practices in sustainable design and engagement with the Penticton Indian Band and neighbor and community Stakeholders. This Concept Plan was endorsed by Council on April 25, 2022.

Please find an updated copy of the Eco-Village Concept Plan below:

Eco-Village Concept Plan

The Eco Village Project Values are summarized below, and will be used to guide the design, development and process of the Eco Village. 

Public Engagement

The District of Summerland has engaged with key stakeholders and the public as part of the concept design process for the Eco-Village. In November of 2021 a two day Charette took place with key stakeholders and staff, with a site tour, stakeholder session, Design Team Working Session and Council review. The intent was to provide feedback and review drafted concept plans as produced by the contractors, MODUS. A second engagement took place between March 9^th and 28^th 2022 the District of Summerland requested community feedback through an online survey. A total of 118 people completed the survey.

Please see the document below for a summary of the findings from the survey.

Public Survey Feedback Summary

Proposed Development Features

The proposed development will be designed and developed to embody high sustainability where possible, this will be accomplished through site specific zoning through a comprehensive development zone, design and landscape guidelines, and the requirement to use and achieve LEED- Neighborhood Development and EnvisionV3.9.7.2018 certification. LEED-ND will be used to guide developers in the sustainable development of housing and overall neighborhood design, and Envision will be used to guide sustainable development of infrastructure, such as roads, utilities, and services.

These frameworks were endorsed for use in the Eco Village by Council following a staff presentation and report on sustainable frameworks for the Eco-Village development. In addition to these sustainable building and infrastructure frameworks, the Energy Step Code in the BC Building Code will need to be adhered to by developers. As of May 1 2023, the BC Building Code now has minimum requirements for all new Part 3 and 9 Buildings under the Energy Step Code; Step Code 3 for Part 9 buildings and Step Code 2 for Part 3 buildings. When updates are provided from the BC Building code for the Zero Carbon Step Code, any requirements will also need to be adhered to. 

Full Staff presentation and report can be viewed in the next section along with all other past presentations and reports. 

Past Presentations to District Council

Please see the below links for more information in the proposed Eco-Village Project. This page will be periodically updated with new information as it becomes available (updated December 13 2023). 

Eco-Village Feasibility - May 10 2021 Mid-Point Report
Eco-Village Feasibility - August 9 2021 Council Presentation

Eco-Village Concept Plan- April 25 2022 Council Report

Eco-Village Sustainability Framework-August 8 2023 Council Report

Eco-Village Sustainability Framework-August 8^th 2023 Council Presentation

Questions?

If you have any questions regarding the proposed Eco-Village, please contact the Staff Project Lead below:

Odessa Cohen
Sustainability Coordinator
email: ocohen@summerland.ca
phone: 250-404-4068