Went to the open house on Saturday.
Took pictures of a few of the boards:
There was quite a bit of excitement among the staff there. A few comments.
They feel that proposing rental buildings on top will get it approved easier through City Hall.
The space above the centre ( the rental buildings ) will NOT be owned by the ICC, nor will they generate revenue for the ICC. They will be owned by BOSA ( if rented ) or if they change plans, sold as condos ( BOSA gets the profit ).
The land itself and the space below the centre will be ICC property. I wasn't 100% sure about the retail, but it sounds like the ICC would purchase retail so they get to decide what kind of retail goes in there. They really want to create an Italian Village feeling and add on amenities like a gym, which apparently has been a big request and part of the original plan for the ICC for years.
The square footage for the ICC will double.
The tallest tower, I believe, is 26 stories. They've yet to see if the city approves that. At that height, I'm guess it would block mountain views for a few houses along the alley north of Beaconsfield park, but nothing that trees don't already block, since that alley is lined with trees blocking most of the view anyhow.
Biggest concerns they've had from members is worry about losing the ICC property. However, ICC feels that if they don't do something soon, they will have to come up with lots of money to renovate anyhow.
One of the board members happens to be cousin to one of the BOSA family. She said BOSA obviously is a business but that they are viewing this as a legacy project for them and a way to give back to the Italian community. Take that for what it is.
It looks like a nice project for the area with no major visual obstructions. If it gets approved, you can guarantee that the houses fronting Grandview between Penticton and Copley will instantly go up in price as developers look for a way to turn that whole block into higher density housing.
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