McKinley Beach: Is This Master-Planned Community Worth the Investment?

If you've been looking at real estate anywhere near the north end of Kelowna, you've probably come across McKinley Beach. It's hard to miss. This 872-acre master-planned community sits along the hillside above Okanagan Lake with the kind of views that stop you mid-scroll on a listings page. But McKinley Beach Kelowna isn't just about pretty views. It's Kelowna's only lakefront community with direct beach access, a private marina, and a growing list of resort-calibre amenities that most neighbourhoods in the Okanagan simply can't match.

The question is whether all of that translates into a smart purchase, or whether you're paying a premium for a lifestyle that looks better on Instagram than it does on a balance sheet. Let's break it all down.

What Makes McKinley Beach Real Estate Different from the Rest of Kelowna

Most Kelowna neighbourhoods developed organically over decades. Streets were added, subdivisions popped up, and amenities came later (or not at all). McKinley Beach was designed from scratch by North American Development Group (NADG) as a complete community, and that distinction matters more than you might think.

The development is approved for 1,300 residential units spread across multiple distinct neighbourhoods, each with its own character and price point. More than 550 homes have already been completed, which means this isn't a speculative project on paper. It's a functioning, lived-in community with established infrastructure, paved roads, and neighbours who actually wave at you.

What sets McKinley Beach apart from other Kelowna master-planned communities is the lakefront. It's the only development in the city that offers residents direct access to one full kilometre of swimmable beachfront on Okanagan Lake. That's not marketing exaggeration. The shoreline is accessible, gently sloped, and genuinely usable for swimming, paddleboarding, and kayaking. Many lakefront properties in the Okanagan sit on steep, rocky banks where "lake access" means scrambling down a hill with a cooler. McKinley Beach is the opposite of that.

Then there's the 110-slip private marina with a concrete breakwater, which provides sheltered docking for boats and personal watercraft. Marina access in Kelowna is notoriously competitive. Public moorage waitlists can stretch for years. Having a community marina is a genuine differentiator for boating families and anyone who considers time on the water a non-negotiable part of Okanagan living.

The Neighbourhoods Inside McKinley Beach: What's Available and What It Costs

One of the smartest things about McKinley Beach homes is the variety. This isn't a community where every house looks the same and costs the same. The development includes several distinct neighbourhoods, each targeting a different buyer profile.

The Pines is the most accessible entry point. These are modern three-bedroom townhomes with a flex room, oversized garages, and fenced yards. As of mid-2025, prices for The Pines start at $749,900, which makes them competitive with townhome pricing across Kelowna's Central Okanagan market. They're particularly appealing for first-time buyers, young families, and investors, partly because short-term rentals are permitted in certain areas of McKinley Beach (more on that below).

Hillside features single-family homes on a gentle slope with dynamic lake views and West Coast contemporary architecture. These homes are larger, typically ranging from 1,500 to 4,000 square feet, with prices generally landing between $1 million and $2 million depending on the lot, size, and finish level.

The Benches is the luxury tier. Nestled between the vineyard and an environmental reserve, these are custom-build lots where buyers choose from four approved builders and design their dream home from the ground up. Pond and forest view lots start around $405,000, with lake-facing lots starting at $350,000. Total build costs for a finished home on The Benches typically push well into the $1.5 to $3 million range.

Forest Hills offered strata-free bungalows in the Hilltown District. These smart-sized, energy-efficient homes were built to Energy Step Code 3, making them roughly 20% more efficient than standard BC building code requirements. Forest Hills is now sold out, but resale units occasionally appear on MLS.

Granite at McKinley Beach brought condo and townhome living to the community for buyers who prefer low-maintenance strata ownership. Units ranged from approximately 688 to 2,388 square feet. Granite is also sold out at the developer level, though resale inventory does come up.

For context, the benchmark price for a single-family home in the Central Okanagan was $1,045,000 as of July 2025, with the average sale price sitting at $1,053,775 according to Association of Interior Realtors data. McKinley Beach single-family homes tend to trade at or above that benchmark, which reflects the premium buyers place on the lakefront location and community amenities.

McKinley Beach Amenities: The Resort Lifestyle That Comes with Your Property Taxes

This is where McKinley Beach really flexes. The amenity package here is unlike anything else in Kelowna residential real estate.

The centrepiece is Our Place, the community amenity building that opened in December 2024. It's a professionally designed facility that includes an indoor pool (a 14-by-32-foot concave design with depths ranging from four to four-and-a-half feet), a yoga studio, a full gymnasium, an outdoor hot tub, a sauna, barbecue areas, and green space for lawn games like bocce. It's the kind of building you'd expect at a boutique resort, not a residential subdivision.

Outside of Our Place, residents have access to:

• Tennis, pickleball, and basketball courts directly within the community
• Community garden plots available by annual lottery (one per household, gardening season runs April through October)
• A children's playground and a dedicated dog park
• Over 12 kilometres of interconnected hiking and biking trails, with five trailheads starting just outside certain neighbourhoods
• SUP and paddleboard storage at the marina, plus swim docks and picnic areas along the beachfront

One of the most anticipated additions is Azhadi Vineyard, a 42-acre working winery being developed right within McKinley Beach by the owners of Ex Nihilo winery. Azhadi is expected to open by late 2025 and will feature sustainable wines crafted without harmful chemicals or pesticides. Having a vineyard and tasting room within walking distance of your front door is a lifestyle perk that's hard to replicate anywhere else in Kelowna.

All of this is funded through an amenity fee assessed on each property based on its annual BC Assessment value. This is similar to the model used in master-planned communities in Whistler. The amenity fee is registered as a covenant on every property title, so it's not optional. It covers maintenance, upkeep, and operation of the shared amenities, trails, marina, and common areas. The developer covers all upfront capital and installation costs; the amenity fee strictly pays for ongoing maintenance and improvements. As of 2025, all community amenities are materially complete.

This structure is worth understanding before you buy. It's not a strata fee in the traditional sense. It's a separate charge administered by the master developer through a non-development company, and the budget is transparent with annual reconciliation reports available to all residents.

Location, Commute Times, and Day-to-Day Convenience

A common concern with master-planned communities built outside city centres is isolation. McKinley Beach addresses this reasonably well, though it's not perfect.

The community sits on the north end of Kelowna, accessed via Glenmore Road past McKinley Reservoir. Downtown Kelowna is about 15 minutes away by car. Kelowna International Airport (YLW) is roughly 10 minutes. UBC Okanagan is also about 10 minutes, which matters for families with university-age kids and for investors targeting the student rental market.

Grocery shopping, restaurants, and everyday errands currently require driving into Kelowna or the neighbouring Lake Country/Winfield corridor, which is about five minutes north. There is a planned Hilltown retail and commercial area within McKinley Beach, but it hasn't materialized yet. This is something buyers should factor in: you're gaining a lakefront lifestyle, but you're trading walkable urban convenience for it. If you need a carton of milk at 9 PM, you're getting in the car.

That said, the proximity to wineries, golf courses (Predator Ridge and The Harvest are both within 20 to 30 minutes), and outdoor recreation partially offsets the distance. For people who chose the Okanagan for the outdoor lifestyle, McKinley Beach puts you closer to the things you actually moved here for.

McKinley Beach as an Investment: Rental Income, Price Appreciation, and STR Rules

For investors evaluating McKinley Beach real estate, there are a few important angles to consider.

Short-term rental regulations are a significant factor. In 2024, Kelowna dramatically tightened its STR rules to align with new provincial legislation. Most residential zones lost the ability to operate short-term rentals as a principal use. However, McKinley Beach's CD18 zoning (specifically Area I, the Village Centre) is one of the few areas where short-term rentals remain explicitly permitted as a principal use. While much of Kelowna's Airbnb market has been curtailed, McKinley Beach properties in the right zone can still legally operate as vacation rentals. In a lakefront community with this level of amenities, the rental appeal is obvious.

The STR permissions are zone-specific, so buyers need to verify exactly which lots and buildings fall within the permitted area. This is non-negotiable due diligence.

Price appreciation is the other side of the equation. McKinley Beach is still actively developing, with more phases and neighbourhoods planned. Communities in earlier development stages often see stronger appreciation as the vision gets built out, amenities come online, and buyer demand increases. The completion of Our Place in late 2024, the upcoming Azhadi Vineyard, and the community now surpassing 550 completed homes all contribute to a more mature, desirable community profile.

Looking at the broader Kelowna market, the Central Okanagan remains in buyer's market territory as of mid-2025, with inventory elevated and homes averaging about 55 days on market. That environment can actually work in a buyer's favour when purchasing in McKinley Beach. You may have more negotiating room now than you would in a balanced or seller's market.

Long-term rental demand is also worth noting. With UBCO just 10 minutes away and the airport nearby, McKinley Beach homes (especially townhomes and secondary suites) can attract long-term tenants who work at the university, the airport, or in Lake Country. Properties with legal suites or lock-off units offer dual income streams that can substantially offset carrying costs.

What to Watch Out for Before Buying at McKinley Beach

No neighbourhood is perfect, and McKinley Beach has a few factors that buyers should weigh honestly.

The amenity fee is an ongoing cost. While it funds genuinely excellent amenities, it's an additional expense on top of your mortgage, property taxes, insurance, and any strata fees (for townhome and condo owners). The fee is based on your BC Assessment value, which means as property values rise, so does your amenity contribution. Budget for it accordingly.

Construction is ongoing. With 1,300 units approved and 550-plus completed, there's still significant building to come over the next several years. Depending on which neighbourhood you buy in, you may live near active construction sites for a period. That's the trade-off of buying into a community before it's fully built out. You get today's pricing, but you deal with today's growing pains.

Daily amenities are limited on-site. There's no grocery store, pharmacy, or medical clinic within the community yet. The planned commercial component in Hilltown could change that, but there's no firm timeline. For now, you're relying on Kelowna and Lake Country for essentials.

Road access is currently limited to one main route via Glenmore Road. During peak seasons or if there's an incident on the road, getting in and out can take longer than the usual 15-minute commute suggests. This is a practical consideration, especially for families with kids in Kelowna schools or for anyone commuting daily to the city centre.

None of these are dealbreakers, but they're the kind of honest details that should factor into your decision, not just the drone footage and sunset photos.

Is McKinley Beach Kelowna Worth It?

Here's the straightforward answer: if you're buying primarily for the lifestyle, and the combination of lakefront access, a private marina, resort-level amenities, and West Coast architecture genuinely aligns with how you want to live, McKinley Beach is one of the most compelling communities in the Okanagan. Nothing else in Kelowna offers this combination. That's not a sales pitch; it's a geographic reality. There is no other lakefront master-planned community in the city.

If you're investing, the picture is also strong, particularly if you can access the zones where short-term rentals are permitted. A vacation rental in a lakefront community with a pool, marina, winery, and beach access practically markets itself.

The buyers who might want to think twice are those who prioritize walkability above all else. McKinley Beach is gorgeous, but it's not downtown. If you want to walk to restaurants, coffee shops, and boutiques, you'll be happier in the Lower Mission or the city centre.

For everyone else, McKinley Beach is worth a serious look. And it's worth seeing in person, because the photos don't fully capture what it feels like to stand on that hillside with the lake stretching out below you.