Photo courtesy of The Rise Resort / Facebook

By Liam Verster

Wellness Spa at the Golf Resort

Preliminary approval granted for spa at The Rise

Jan 29, 2025 | 12:06 PM

A plan to establish a spa facility at The Rise has received preliminary support.

At the regular meeting Monday, jan. 27, Vernon City Council received a request for an Official Community Plan (OCP) and Zoning Amendment to redesignate a portion of a property on Rising View Way for a future wellness spa facility.

City staff told council that the spa would be located south east of the existing golf course and the property was primarily zoned as park land but also includes residential designations, adding the new spa would take up approximately 12 acres of a 154 acre parcel of land.

The proposed spa would consist of multiple buildings featuring various wellness services and pools with connected access paths linking them.

The site may also be used to establish tourism accommodation in the future, though plans for that project were not completed as of Monday.

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Staff said the city supported the request for a number of reasons including:

• It aligned with the Regional Growth Strategy Bylaw; that the ownership arrangement of The Rise community had shifted and evolved
• The proposal’s alignment with the Council Strategic Plan
• Previous construction of The Rise golf course in environmentally sensitive areas was professionally managed
• The proposed site is owned by The Rise and was previously planned to be developed as a golf practice and training centre, which would have had greater impacts on the natural environment
• The facility will expand tourism opportunities for Greater Vernon

Staff noted the proposed facility would surround an existing pond at the site, and a preliminary environmental analysis determined construction would impact the pond, so a full Environmental Impact Assessment would need to be done at the property if the proposal received further support.

Council granted support-in-principle for the proposal at the regular meeting Monday.

The developer will host a Public Open House for residents to learn more about the proposed spa facility at a future date.