Updated plans for the former Tolko Mill site in 琉璃神社鈥檚 North End will be presented to city council on Monday, October 28.

The Mill Site Area Redevelopment envisions five distinct character areas. The Milling Place, seen as the cultural heart of the site, will include retail, restaurants, pubs, hotels, and residential spaces, while preserving the No. 5 Shed and loading dock, which were built in the 1940s.

The Selkirk Spillway will serve as a north-south pedestrian and active transportation corridor, surrounded by residential dwellings. The Machine Shop area will connect Okanagan Lake to Guy Street and Sunset Boulevard, extending through to downtown and Knox Mountain. Anchoring this junction point is the machine shop, a structure built in 1930.

The Gathering Place will be a public space situated at the water鈥檚 edge, featuring the old plywood shed - a steel structure that will be rehabilitated. The Chip Tower, located in the centre of the site, pays homage to the area鈥檚 history as a lumber mill. This structure, once used to transport wood chips, will be reimagined as a play structure or a possible launch point for a pedestrian bridge.

Previous site concept plans submitted to council proposed 3,500 residential units, including affordable housing, as well as spaces for seniors and students. The updated plan being presented on Monday outlines approximately 22 tall buildings, "with proposed heights similar to those in the Downtown Urban Centre, transitioning from Ellis Street to lower building heights along the lake.鈥�

Due to the lakefront location, the water table will limit underground parking, as noted in the documents. Parking is expected to be provided at or above grade, with a site plan envisioning oversized blocks for two-storey parkades above ground. Plans for improved public transit service to the Mill Site and North End include a bus exchange and more frequent service.

A minimum of two hectares (4.9 acres) of parkland will be dedicated to the city, along with a designated riparian area of approximately 0.81 hectares (two acres).

The Mill site spans approximately 40 acres, with an anticipated build-out timeline of 25 to 30 years. Early development work on the site could begin in the summer of 2025.