UPDATE: After a marathon session Tuesday night, council approved Westcorp’s proposal for a 33 storey hotel-condo tower.
Kelowna city council will decide at a Tuesday night meeting whether to approve a proposed 33 storey hotel-condo tower in the heart of downtown.
“This achieves the status of iconic landmark building better than the previous project did,” says Westcorp Projects spokesperson Gail Temple. “And it certainly delivers better venues and better interfaces than the previous project did.”
Council had previously approved Westcorp’s application for a 26 storey hotel on the site which is adjacent to two waterfront parks.
But Temple says it’s more financially feasible to go to 33 stories which would be 430 feet tall.
“Going underground (for parking) adds costs. Thicker floor slabs add costs. Greater ceiling heights add costs. The inclusion of the restaurant. The only thing we are adding that we can sell for revenue now are the five extra floors of residential floor space.”
Taller is better for the company but not so good for the community say Kelowna city planners.
“To go to this extreme we feel is overwhelming,” says Urban Planning Manager Terry Barton.
Planning staff are recommending council not approve the project, saying its size and visual presence don’t integrate well with the neighbourhood.
“We don’t feel the overall height and the way the proposal is put together does enough in terms of responding to that very unique spot of Kelowna,” says Barton. “I don’t know that the city or the public ever envisioned that the region’s tallest tower would be located on this specific property.”
If city council green lights the project, Westcorp hopes to have shovels in the ground within a year or so with completion about three years after that.