Kelowna’s old police site to be discussed in November public hearing

Kelowna residents will get a chance next month to weigh in on the development set to go into the old police station site.

On Monday, council considered a rezoning request for the 13-storey mixed-use development at the site of the former RCMP building on Doyle Avenue and gave first reading and forwarded it to a Nov. 16 public hearing.

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Council was considering land use only, but the project’s aims were discussed briefly.

City staff said the proposal by Rise Commercial Developments includes 6,000 square feet of public amenity space, retail space and 10 storeys of rental housing. It will not be zoned in a way that will allow for short-term rentals.

“There will be a number of commercial spaces opening onto the art walk and there will be residential on the top floors,” a city staffer said during the Monday meeting.

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Rise secured a 99-year lease from the city for $7 million, marking a shift in the property that had been a source of much conversation in the years preceding the deal.

Rise Commercial is headquartered in Kelowna. In its portfolio, it highlighted local projects The Shore, a six-storey, residential and commercial project on Lakeshore Road and the Lofts on Main in Penticton.

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