Kelowna Construction

[KelownaResident]

Yeah, that is the mill you are thinking about. You can see the mill and their water stored logs from Knox Mtn. It would be a shame if this mill shut down as it has provided good stable employment for many people throughout the years but it would be an epic site for developing some mid or high rises on site. The local neighbors probably wouldn't miss the black soot either.

For example:
https://www.castanet.net/news/Kelown...rks-neighbours

I am actually quite surprised this hasn't been brought up as an issue for the new buyers at One Water and 1151 Sunset.

[240glt]

^ It is an interesting juxtaposition, all those multi million dollar lakefront homes right next to a mill. I can't remember if it's a pulp, chip or dimensional lumber mill... but yes at some point it's just not going to make economic sense to keep it, looking on MLS there's a house worth 6 million dollars for sale just up the road from the mill.

I'm betting it's a throwback from when they used to move timber on the lake. There's still quite a number of water log yards across the lake off Westside road. Maybe they still do move the logs across the lake to the mill.. I'm not sure

[KevD]

Here's a decent rendering of the new Ellis Parc Tower to be built on the corner of Ellis and Clement adjacent to BNA and prospera place. 14 stories total. Mostly Residential.

http://ellisparc.com/

[KelownaResident]

^Killer location. Don't even need to cross the street to get to Prospera Place (Kelowna's Stadium).

Color and shape are a bit odd though.

[goldenboi]

I know this is skyscraperpage, but why are you guys all obsessed with height? You would be lucky to avoid making the same mistake that Winnipeg made: build a few of skyscrapers that suck up all the demand, and get left with a bunch of surface parking lots, empty space, and poor public realm.

Just because you build a few big towers doesn't make you a big city. Rather, If small cities like Kelowna and Victoria can stick to mid-rise, mixed use developments, they will fill all the gaps and end up with safe, vibrant downtowns that can support frequent transit and retail activity. That seems more "big city" to me then a few point towers.

I would like to hear the thoughts of people who live in Kelowna or Victoria.

[905er]

Originally Posted by goldenboi

I know this is skyscraperpage, but why are you guys all obsessed with height? You would be lucky to avoid making the same mistake that Winnipeg made: build a few of skyscrapers that suck up all the demand, and get left with a bunch of surface parking lots, empty space, and poor public realm.

Just because you build a few big towers doesn't make you a big city. Rather, If small cities like Kelowna and Victoria can stick to mid-rise, mixed use developments, they will fill all the gaps and end up with safe, vibrant downtowns that can support frequent transit and retail activity. That seems more "big city" to me then a few point towers.

I would like to hear the thoughts of people who live in Kelowna or Victoria.

Well said.. As someone originally from Mississauga I can appreciate that. Surface parking lots are horrible for street grids. I certainly wouldn't mind a few smaller towers if it meant that the parking lots start to disappear.

[240glt]

Originally Posted by goldenboi

I know this is skyscraperpage, but why are you guys all obsessed with height? You would be lucky to avoid making the same mistake that Winnipeg made: build a few of skyscrapers that suck up all the demand, and get left with a bunch of surface parking lots, empty space, and poor public realm.

Just because you build a few big towers doesn't make you a big city. Rather, If small cities like Kelowna and Victoria can stick to mid-rise, mixed use developments, they will fill all the gaps and end up with safe, vibrant downtowns that can support frequent transit and retail activity. That seems more "big city" to me then a few point towers.

I would like to hear the thoughts of people who live in Kelowna or Victoria.

It's a lot of recreational investment demand in Kelowna. Vancouver and Calgary and some US money has been driving the demand for these types of projects.

The bigger issue in the Okanagan is affordability for residents. Prices are really high for average homes, but the average wages in the area aren't that high

I'm okay with some taller buildings along the lakefront. The biggest mistake to-date in Kelowna was allowing all that office development along Harvey in the Kirschner road area.

[Metro-One]

I get the sentiment of filling out more blocks with mid-rises, but a couple taller signature towers go a long way to create some nice focal points of a city's identity.

The proposed hotel tower is a perfect example of this and I really hope it moves forward.

[KelownaResident]

What stage is the proposed downtown hotel at?

Anyone heard anything about the 24 Kelowna tower on Bernard?

Last I heard Ella and One Water sold over 70% within weeks, however their sales have slowed down since. I spoke to some realtor friends and there is some concern these condos are being bought up by speculators, and there are lots of these being built. Last time this happened was around 2007 and we all know what happened shortly after...

I hope these projects including the old Bargain store bought by Mission Group go forward past the concept and permit stage and into construction. Would hate to see these projects stall once again.

[Emtee]

Originally Posted by KelownaResident

What stage is the proposed downtown hotel at?

Anyone heard anything about the 24 Kelowna tower on Bernard?

Last I heard Ella and One Water sold over 70% within weeks, however their sales have slowed down since. I spoke to some realtor friends and there is some concern these condos are being bought up by speculators, and there are lots of these being built. Last time this happened was around 2007 and we all know what happened shortly after...

I hope these projects including the old Bargain store bought by Mission Group go forward past the concept and permit stage and into construction. Would hate to see these projects stall once again.

Re Westcorp Hotel: The revised proposal for the downtown hotel still hasn't gone back to Council.

See: https://www.kelowna.ca/homes-buildin...ents/dp17-0191

Re 24 Tower: The City has just submitted an amendment to the OCP and zoning bylaw to remove the provision for that tower and make it 6-storey maximum height to be consistent with the rest of that portion of Bernard.

See: https://www.kelowna.ca/homes-buildin...ents/ta17-0013
https://www.kelowna.ca/homes-buildin...nts/ocp17-0025

[240glt]

Kelowna looking to crack down on illegal shot term rentals such as Air BnB

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/britis...uver-1.4397508

[goldenboi]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

I get the sentiment of filling out more blocks with mid-rises, but a couple taller signature towers go a long way to create some nice focal points of a city's identity.

The proposed hotel tower is a perfect example of this and I really hope it moves forward.

Good point. Taller towers can definitely become icons for a city, which is evident with Winnipeg. I would just hope that the "couple taller signature towers" don't absorb all of the demand for development. Because then you would be left with some nice focal points, but not much else.

[Emtee]

The master development permit for the Capri redevelopment has been submitted:






http://apps.kelowna.ca/CityPage/DevA...0Dr%201835.pdf

And the development permit for the first tower at the corner of Sutherland and Capri:



http://apps.kelowna.ca/CityPage/DevA...0Dr%201835.pdf

[240glt]

^ thanks for the update

I can remember when the Capri was THE place to stay in Kelowna. I haven't been there in ages... the mall was never anything spectacular. This is an ambitious redevelopment project

[uzi]

the timeline of this project is probably 15-20 years.

[csbvan]

Wow, this is an ambitious proposal for Kelowna. Good stuff.

[DKaz]

That's ambitious, but good to hear. The first tower can go up without demolishing any of the existing Capri Centre. The mixed use towers will probably have to go to up along Gordon before they can get rid of Capri Centre itself. That outdoor hockey rink would be amazing if it is actually built.

[giallo]

Extremely ambitious indeed. It would help solve some of the housing woes in Kelowna if built to its full scale.

[Sea_to_Sea]

Have any details or plans for the retail component been released? I lived in that neighbourhood for a brief time and found it to be a great location. It was really nice having a grocery store in the area.

[KevD]

I love big projects, and I love tall buildings, obviously. But I gotta be honest here, this project is ridiculous. The sheer scale of this thing is so far beyond what is appropriate for that area. The ice rink/multi-use park idea is awesome, but what's the point in keeping the coast capri hotel if the rest is going to be these massive modern towers? Seems very odd to me to keep the hotel, even considering the historical value in it. My main concern with this proposal is how out of place it will feel. Having 10 towers amongst lowrise buildings and single-family homes will feel quite intimidating for the rest of the neighbourhood.
Also keep in mind that this capri mall location isn't close enough to downtown or any other major shopping destination to be easily walkable. The traffic from this monster project will be insane. Projects like this need to be kept closer to downtown, rutland, orchard park mall, and south pandosy in my opinion.

I would much prefer to see this development scaled back to a maximum of 3 highrise towers and a more condensed retail space to increase the amenities on site and reduce vehicle use. The multi-use park is awesome though.