Heritage Management

The City of Kelowna values our natural and built heritage and, through the Kelowna Official Community Plan, articulates the City's policies respecting heritage conservation. To view the OCP Heritage Policies, please refer to Bylaws/Official Community Plan section.

Heritage Management Planning Initiatives:

With the direction of the Official Community Plan, the City of Kelowna has taken a leading role in the following heritage management planning initiatives:

• The 1994 Heritage Strategy for Kelowna and the 1995 Heritage Management Plan for Kelowna, which provide direction for future heritage planning initiatives;
• Establishment of the Abbott Street and Marshall Street Heritage Conservation Areas, which provide development guidelines that encourage new development to be compatible with the character of each area;
  Information Bulletin on the Heritage Conservation Areas
• Protection of heritage properties through approval of a Heritage Designation Bylaw, a Heritage Revitalization Agreement or a Heritage Conservation Covenant;
  Protected Heritage Properties
• and the Kelowna Heritage Register, which is the City’s official listing of heritage properties
  Heritage Register List
  Information Bulletin on the Kelowna Heritage Register
  Kelowna Heritage Register Evaluation Criteria

Heritage Management Infrastructure

The management infrastructure to implement the goals of these heritage planning initiatives is also in place since Kelowna has established:

• A Heritage Procedures Bylaw, which sets application procedures for Heritage Alteration Permits (applications to alter heritage buildings), Heritage Designations Bylaws (applications to protect heritage buildings) and Heritage Revitalization Agreements (applications to adaptively re-use heritage buildings).
  Heritage Procedures Bylaw
  Heritage Application Forms and Information Package 
• A Community Heritage Commission, which advises City Council on issues related to heritage conservation.
  Commission Terms of Reference
• The Kelowna Heritage Foundation, which provides funding assistance for projects that restore heritage properties and for projects that advance the knowledge and appreciation of the historical and cultural background of Kelowna.                                                                                       
  Kelowna Heritage Foundation
  Kelowna Heritage Foundation Grant Guidelines and Application Form
• Adaptive Re-Use Guidelines for Residential Heritage Buildings, which are intended to provide direction in terms of what may be considered an appropriate adaptive re-use of heritage buildings.
• the Heritage Building Tax Incentive Program Policy, which provides tax breaks to property owners who have restored revenue generating heritage buildings.