A proposal to build a taller than initially planned tower on Kelowna’s former cop shop site has met opposition before even making its way before council.
An application requesting the go-ahead 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 on May 9.
This week, political lobbyists, the Kelowna Legacy Group, have come out to say the change in tack is cause for concern and they’d like to see a pause of the lease while the investigation is completed.
Rise Developments and partner Wexford Developments were awarded use of the city-owned land in 2019 after submitting a successful bid in the request for proposals (RFP). That allowed them to pay a monthly lease of approximately $2,300 per month for 88 years with a review and adjustment at that time for another 19 years to 99 years total.
The Legacy Group pointed out that developers initially proposed the maximum 13-storey tower as stipulated in the RFP, but the proposal submitted earlier this month exceeded allowable municipal setbacks and cast large shadows on surrounding buildings.
They ask whether the developer “pulled a bait and switch on the public and on the City of Kelowna” by claiming that they now need a much taller building, which will result in higher rents, in order to make the project happen.
The change, they highlight, will require concessions by the community and significant zoning variances.
“If the developer is unable to fulfill their commitment within the initial terms of the offering and concessions are being considered, should the process go back to the beginning with concessions offered to all developers?” the Legacy Group said in the release.
“Certainly, there are many developers in town who would like to look at this option now that the rules have changed. We ask, is there a liability to the City for misrepresentation of the initial offer?”
For their part, in their 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.
“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.
When the application will be before council remains to be seen.
The downtown building was used until 2017, when Kelowna RCMP moved into their new $40-million digs on Richter Street.
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