With new highrises being built on the corner of Water Street and Sunset Drive, hundreds of new residents will be flooding Kelowna’s downtown area.
According to Sunset Drive residents, parking is already an issue.
“When they add another 1000 units in a couple of years, I imagine it being impossible 100 per cent of the time to find parking,” said Mike Martin, Waterscapes Strata president.
Currently, the street is only pay parking and residents don’t get parking permit passes.
Some residents have to park more than two blocks away.
“Usually, we walk about a kilometre or half a kilometre to find parking in the evening,” said Ruth Grass, a Sunset Drive resident.
“It can be quite frustrating, especially with two small children.”
Residents said they want to see new developments for parking.
“Personally, I would love to see something like a four- to five-storey parking lot, somewhere right here on Sunset,” said Martin.
Another issue Sunset residents said they’ve been dealing with is a rising number of vehicle break-ins.
“This past year, there were a lot of break-ins,” said Dan Mcfarlane, a Sunset Drive resident.
“I know with our building, we are very vigilant about walking around and making sure the right people are on the property.”
Strata council members from the surrounding buildings have come together to discuss the issues affecting their neighborhood.
“Break-ins have been steadily increasing. If you take a walk around the area on any morning, you will see windows that have been broken from cars,” said Martin.
Council members have not spoken to the city or the RCMP yet, but plan to next week.