Taller tower proposed for Kelowna’s old RCMP detachment site

A taller and slimmer highrise is being proposed for the defunct RCMP site in downtown Kelowna.

A proposal to raise the tower portion of the development at 350 Doyle Ave. to 25 storeys from 13 storeys was submitted to the City of Kelowna May 9.

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In the application, Wexford Development and Appelt Properties say they spoke with area neighbours and other invested groups to find out their needs and desires and learned that while the original proposal was generally well-received, concerns were also expressed about the impact of the building form on the ground-level public spaces and on neighbouring properties.

Of some concern were “shadowing and viewscapes.”

“Working with guidance from the City, we have replaced the original form with a taller, more slender and vertical tower design,” reads the report.

The slimmer building steps back from Doyle Avenue and the Art Walk at the third and sixth floors, and developers said it creates a greater sense of openness for both Doyle Avenue and the proposed Kelowna Art Walk extension.

They also said it will better meet the needs of those at the Kelowna Innovation Centre and The Madison condominiums, located at Ellis Street and Doyle Avenue.

“Although a mid-rise building form is more efficiently operated for rental residential applications, better building efficiency, lower cost, than a tower configuration, however, the taller slimmer tower design is reflective of a more modern urban design approach, an important consideration in planning for Kelowna’s downtown,” reads the report.

The revised tower design scheme also has shadowing advantages over the previous mid-rise design, too, with a “more slender shadow that moves across the area faster, thus providing more sunlight to the Art Walk and adjacent public and private areas, and a warmer, more welcoming ground experience. See Shadow Study Comparisons below.”

The downtown building was used until 2017, when Kelowna RCMP moved into their new $40-million digs on Richter Street.