Kelowna Construction

[Phrescata]

Well the numbers are in, and 2018 was a record breaking year for YLW!
December was once again the airports busiest month ever with 210,926 passengers.
2018 as a whole saw a record breaking 2,080,372 passengers travel through the airport, which is the first time the airport has seen over two million in one year!
I believe this now ranks YLW as Canada’s 10th busiest airport.


https://okanaganedge.net/2019/01/11/...est-in-canada/

[Phil McAvity]

Originally Posted by 240glt

No that's not true. There was no authority in Kelowna that would have required anything different

Really? Kelowna doesn't have zoning laws?

Originally Posted by Twindragon

Im not sure why there is even a debate on whether or not the kelowna dt has a good skyline or not. Personally I think its non existent......

I'm glad to see a least someone here agrees with me

[aastra]

2018 as a whole saw a record breaking 2,080,372 passengers travel through the airport, which is the first time the airport has seen over two million in one year!

As coincidence would have it, Victoria airport's 2 millionth passenger was flying in from Kelowna.

[KevD]

Originally Posted by Phil McAvity

I'm glad to see a least someone here agrees with me

I think most of us agree with you that Kelowna's skyline is pretty non-existent and scattered at best. It's just a very tired statement that I've heard over and over and over again. It's an annoying statement to frequently make especially now when Kelowna's downtown is currently in a highrise boom and the "non-existent skyline" will soon change very quickly. All I want to see Phil are more positive and informative contributions to this thread.

[240glt]

Originally Posted by Phil McAvity

Really? Kelowna doesn't have zoning laws?

Don’t be obtuse. Of course Kelowna has zoning bylaws, but those bylaws (in any city) still only give cities limited powers and don’t have a material impact on what a building will look like. Edmonton was forced to implement a committee called the EDC a while back because in spite of the zoning bylaws in place local developers were consistently building hideous garbage.

Seriously man, whining about the Landmark development is so 1995. Move on.

[GSS]

Agree about it being non existent. A couple of highrises does not make a skyline. I will evolve over time, but right now there is no skyline.

Regina and Saskatoon...in particular Regina have actual proper skylines. While not as much is being built or proposed, their downtowns and skylines are more more complete and diverse. Regina's actually had 3 or 4 buildings built since the 80's. Not sure about Saskatoon.

Originally Posted by Twindragon

Im not sure why there is even a debate on whether or not the kelowna dt has a good skyline or not. Personally I think its non existent but its going to get better in the next 5 years and beyond.

At least kelowna has some decent developments proposed. If you look at cities like regina or saskatoon which are close to the same size there have barely been any highrise developments since the 80s I think.

[GSS]

Re: Kelowna skyline vs Regina/Saskatoon. It's not even close.

Regina


Kelowna

[Phil McAvity]

^Exactly

It's astounding that the two cities are almost the same size

Originally Posted by KevD

All I want to see Phil are more positive and informative contributions to this thread.

I'll work on it coach!

Originally Posted by 240glt

Don’t be obtuse. Of course Kelowna has zoning bylaws, but those bylaws (in any city) still only give cities limited powers and don’t have a material impact on what a building will look like. Edmonton was forced to implement a committee called the EDC a while back because in spite of the zoning bylaws in place local developers were consistently building hideous garbage.

Seriously man, whining about the Landmark development is so 1995. Move on.

My whining actually started with the Kiwanis Tower in 1976 and then reached a crescendo with Landmark VI in 2012 which demonstrated that Kelownians have never had any idea how to manage urban growth but you're talking about design panels/committees, not zoning laws because zoning laws simply designate which buildings can go where in a city whereas design panels/committees decide on the aesthetics of buildings and i've never bitched about the quality of the buildings in Kelowna, only their location, which zoning laws cover. What does EDC stand for?

So are the 3 buildings that are soon wrapping up all going to be downtown?

[Twindragon]

I’ve always thought Regina had a great skyline for the size of the city. I grew up in Saskatchewan and it was the first skyline I saw as a kid. I think the last high rise around 20 stories went up in 2014 and I guess there has been a few buildings around 10 stories that have gone up in the 2000s. I’m just glad kelowna is getting multiple buildings over 20 stories and even 30 stories. Keep them coming and In 10 years kelowna might surpass Reginas skyline.

[uzi]

I moved to Ottawa in june 2018, I drove from Kelowna to Ottawa and stopped in Regina. Regina definitely has a better looking skyline than Kelowna, its like more organized than Kelowna's skyline.

[240glt]

Originally Posted by Phil McAvity

^Exactly

It's astounding
My whining actually started with the Kiwanis Tower in 1976 and then reached a crescendo with Landmark VI in 2012 which demonstrated that Kelownians have never had any idea how to manage urban growth but you're talking about design panels/committees, not zoning laws because zoning laws simply designate which buildings can go where in a city whereas design panels/committees decide on the aesthetics of buildings and i've never bitched about the quality of the buildingsin Kelowna, only their location, which zoning laws cover. What does EDC stand for?

So are the 3 buildings that are soon wrapping up all going to be downtown?

Kiwanis Village was purpose built as seniors housing. There is zero reason that the preferable location for that building would be in the downtown core. In fact for that use I’d say the buildings location is preferable to downtown for a variety of reasons.

No one is saying that Kelowna’s planning has been ideal, but the city is not a typical city like Saskatoon or Regina. Most people would agree that Kelowna is a far nicer place to live than both of those prairie cities, so obviously a city’s skyline is not a significant factor in a city’s desirability

[Twindragon]

Yea, kelowna is so much better. Probably one of the most desirable places to live in Canada or North America. Obviously skylines don’t determine wether a city is desirable. We are on a forum dedicated to skyscrapers though lol. If this upward trend continues in kelowna we might see a great skyline fairly soon. Think about the fact that in 2018 alone we’ve had 6 High rises approved. Some of them approved in late 2017. Who knows, 2019 could get a few more as well. Maybe a proposal for the old capital news building or maybe we will see proposals for the properties that were bought on Leon where the habitat is. I can also see those 2 buildings that were proposed for the prospera parking lot go before city council with improved parking and maybe get approved this year.

[Metro-One]

Stupid conversation, but will add my two cents.

No, Kelowna does not have a great skyline, but it is growing and the transformation with the current projects U / C and planned will be large over the next couple years.

That said, to go back to the original comment / issue, the downtown does not feel like that of a city of 20 000 or so. That is the silliest shit I have heard in a long time. The downtown is very active and has been filling out / improving considerably over the last decade.

Now, Phil McActivity keeps asking if these towers U / C are downtown, well, I believe he is fishing for something, because we have had this argument before and he very well knows that they are. What he will do is move the goalposts afterwards and say "The area around the stadium is not downtown" etc...

But whatever, here is a reposting of picks I took in Kelowna this summer. You can see 4 towers downtown U / C in these pics. A 5th has also sold out I hear and to start construction this year. Then there are other proposals that will hopefully progress this year. Then there are the infill projects as well also shown below.

Originally Posted by Metro-One

Okay, so here are my construction pics from a week ago.

First up is One Water Street:

One Water Street Construction by Ian, on Flickr

One Water Street Construction by Ian, on Flickr

One Water Street Construction by Ian, on Flickr

Seems to be some action across the street going on as well in the foreground here. Or maybe it is just a staging yard? (and info?)

One Water Street Construction by Ian, on Flickr

Next is this development at Richter St. and Harvey Ave / Highway 97.

Kelowna Construction by Ian, on Flickr

Kelowna Construction by Ian, on Flickr

Downtown ELLA is now above grade. This tower is very centrally located and will really add some weight to the heart of downtown.

Kelowna Construction by Ian, on Flickr

Kelowna Construction by Ian, on Flickr

And lat this newly completed looking project caught my eye. Which project is this?

Kelowna Developing by Ian, on Flickr

Also so many good looking girls in Kelowna...

That's it for construction pics but I will post many glamour pics later.

Cheers

[DKaz]

It takes 10-15 minutes to walk from the official downtown core to the Arts & Entertainment District. It's not officially downtown but it's close enough, similar to Yaletown.

I'm also excited about the transformation at Landmark District over the next decade.

[Sheener]

If you want to complain about prior decisions and what could have been, start a new thread. Kelowna is heading in the right direction by increasing density downtown and creating nodal “centres” ie. Pandosy, Capri, Rutland, which are necessary for a city with ALR land constrictions. VAST majority of new high density projections are going up in or near the downtown core.

Absolutely no way to compare Kelowna with cities like Regina. Kelowna was built on agriculture and tourism, it still has a higher proportion of retirement communities and is located in a province where both the economic and government hubs are located in different cities (Van, Vic.). Regina is a capital, it is also a corporate hub for the province. If you want to compare apples to apples how about a similar lakeside, tourism based city like Barrie. In 2-3 years time we won’t be having this debate so just sit back and enjoy the new projects.

[Phil McAvity]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

Now, Phil McActivity keeps asking if these towers U / C are downtown, well, I believe he is fishing for something, because we have had this argument before and he very well knows that they are. What he will do is move the goalposts afterwards and say "The area around the stadium is not downtown" etc...

Wrong

Like the others here that have accused me of trolling, I don't ask a question unless I want the answer because I mean what I say and say what I mean. Also, thanks for the pictures but like Dkaz said, the cluster of highrises by the arena and lake downtown isn't really downtown so the city is still going in the wrong direction although over the next few decades i'm sure the downtown will expand to include that area. If "McActivity" was intentional, that was pretty good

Originally Posted by Sheener

If you want to complain about prior decisions and what could have been, start a new thread. Kelowna is heading in the right direction by increasing density downtown and creating nodal “centres” ie. Pandosy, Capri, Rutland, which are necessary for a city with ALR land constrictions. VAST majority of new high density projections are going up in or near the downtown core.

There's no need to start a new thread because this conversation is on topic and i've already explained why high-rises all over the city are a bad idea.

[GSS]

Originally Posted by 240glt

Kiwanis Village was purpose built as seniors housing. There is zero reason that the preferable location for that building would be in the downtown core. In fact for that use I’d say the buildings location is preferable to downtown for a variety of reasons.

No one is saying that Kelowna’s planning has been ideal, but the city is not a typical city like Saskatoon or Regina. Most people would agree that Kelowna is a far nicer place to live than both of those prairie cities, so obviously a city’s skyline is not a significant factor in a city’s desirability

There are a lot of factors that make a city desirable, and the skyline is just one of many factors...for people who like skylines. It's not what makes a city desirable for me necessarily. I have never lived in Kelowna, but like it as a place to visit. It's a great place in the summer and has lots of upsides, but what makes a city a 'far nicer to live' is also subjective. I haven't lived in Regina or Saskatoon either, but I know people who have moved to Kelowna from Winnipeg, Sasaktoon and Edmonton and have since moved back for varying reasons which I won't get into in order to avoid needless debate. We can all agree Kelowna's a nice place, but having a lake and mountains nearby doesn't automatically make a city a 'far nicer place' to live.

[240glt]

We can all agree Kelowna's a nice place, but having a lake and mountains nearby doesn't automatically make a city a 'far nicer place' to live.

You're right it's subjective, but I doubt the vast majority of people think a city is desirable due to its skyline.

I'd wager that if you were to ask what the top factors people consider that make a place a nice place to live you'd get answers like climate, crime, economy and recreation.

[jimmyboy95]

Kelowna needs to think more of the big picture instead of just millionaires and tourism. It is the hub city of BC Southern Interior. And its growing rapidly. Kelowna needs to have more productive things going on, more industry, etc. Also, a freeway and second bridge.

Sometimes I feel Kamloops is better suited to be a large city and Kelowna should have remained a smaller town.

[Metro-One]

Kelowna does have a decently diverse economy, hence the recent proposal for a 25 story office tower. It also has a robust agricultural industry that also includes manufacturing.

People who think it is just a tourist trap akin to Osoyoos don’t really known Kelowna.

As for the second bridg and freeway, yes, Kelowna wants that. They have made that very clear for a long while. Sadly, it is the province (and to some extent the Feds) who make such projects happen. So it is best to pressure them if you want to see these happen.