A group is calling for the City of Kelowna to take its time and think of the possibilities when it comes to the former RCMP site in the downtown core.
Located just steps from Okanagan Lake, the site is for sale – technically, it’s a prepaid 80-year lease – and features a price tag of $6.5 million.
The site at 350 Doyle Ave. is a 0.87-hectare parcel and is now vacant following the demolition of the former RCMP building.
On its website, the city says it hopes to “maximize the potential for the site, as it is a prime, premiere piece of property.”
Since it is a prime piece of land, a group says it wants the city to delay its request for proposal (RFP) for one year. According to the group, the RFP cutoff date for companies seeking to participate in the land process was September 30.
Kelowna Legacy Group says more public consultation is needed to develop a comprehensive plan for the entire area, including the four civic areas (former RCMP station, existing community theatre, city hall parking lot and Memorial Arena).
The group is a collection of citizens, including lawyer Paul Mitchell, home builder Les Bellany, former mayoral candidate Tom Dyas and Al Hildebrandt, former CEO of QHR Technologies.
The group says it is short-sighted not to look at all four civic properties when planning future community space, and created a video showing what the four sites could look like.
“There is precedent with the city when it comes to seeking more public consultation and we are gaining supporters each day as people see the video,” says Phil Whealy, spokesperson for the Kelowna Legacy Group.
“Before selling this public asset, let’s make sure we’ve considered all possibilities and consider creating a lasting downtown legacy.”
The group says all four civic properties could be developed, over time, to create an interconnected space.
“A public-private partnership arrangement, similar to that used in the development of Prospera Place and the Okanagan Innovation Centre, should be considered before this property is leased to a developer for 80 years or sold and lost to the community forever,” said Whealy.
The group says two of the civic properties are part of the Simpson Covenant and early discussions with the Simpson family indicate a willingness to consider a visionary legacy project.
“We feel these properties, as a whole,” said Whealy, “represent an important legacy for the wider community and that this one parcel should not be sold short of its ‘highest and best’ civic use.”
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