It's ambitious, sprawling, and not without its detractors, but the proposed  is projected to mitigate one of the main issues plaguing Vernon. 

"What are the headlines in the paper? It's housing," said Leonard Kerkhoff, president and CEO of Kerkhoff Develop-Build, the company behind the project. "And who is doing anything about it? We are, and there is no site like this anywhere else." 

The plan is to build a community of nearly 4,000 homes, on the property of 580 Commonage, located seven minutes from downtown Vernon. The 1,041 acre property (already purchased by Kerkhoff Develop-Build) will see 38 per cent of it as a development area with resident, mixed-use neighbourhood and streets while the remaining 62 per cent would be kept as a natural area, (29 per cent as a community park and 34 per cent as a hillside conservation area).

The company was at the Vernon Recreation Centre auditorium on Wednesday, May 14 for an open house to solicit feedback for their development. The company has other projects in the Okanagan, most notably One Water Street and 

"The area is large enough, and close enough to regional services, that the area makes sense," said Kerkhoff, who then referenced the , where 5,933 more homes are needed by 2031, and 11,484 by 2041. "We are proposing 4,000 homes will be built at Commonage and away from the downtown core.

"What that means is that they are going to actually get built, as they don't make sense financially downtown as there would be a ton of density there."

The plan has its detractors, as groups such as the North Okanagan Naturalists' Club (NONC) oppose its development, citing environmental concerns.

"The costs in terms of environmental destruction, increased infrastructure costs and other negative impacts outweigh any potential benefits," said the NONC in a statement. "We urge council and community members to consider the long-term damage that approval of this development will visit upon our community and region."

Kerkoff understands the environmental concerns, stating that two-thirds of the property will be protected in perpetuity as dedicated parkland.

"Nothing is protected right now, and we will be protecting it," Kerkhoff said. "We will also be allowing public access to it, as right now it is private land."

Pam McAllister was situated just outside the open house with a 'Save the Commonage' sign. She, too had concerns. 

"The main concern is that there is no water up there for the traffic, and we need a wildlife corridor," she said. "It is a very, very sensitive area."

Kerkhoff explained that there will be a new upper and lower water reservoir set up at the development. 

"The burden to taxpayers is virtually nothing," Kerkhoff said. "All the roads and services will be at our cost. Additionally, on-site servicing for neighbourhood infrastructure, including potable water, sanitary sewer, and stormwater systems, is to be designed in accordance with City of Vernon engineering standards."

The homes that will be built will be priced lower than comparable market rates.

"It is cheaper and faster to build, and a house can be built in three months, compared to an apartment, which could take two years," Kerkhoff explained. "They will be with a leasehold model; small, compact and light footprint homes with green building standards."

And, if all goes to plan, there is a chance that shovels could be in the ground to build by as early as next summer. 

"If this does get approved with urgency, because there is a housing crisis, then we can start building structures by the summer (of 2026)," Kerkhoff said "It is doable."

Council currently has tepid support for the project, subject to a list of conditions:

A questionnaire online for those unable to attend the open house can be found at