Ambitious high rise project proposed for Leon Ave to be reconsidered by council

Kelowna city council will have its second look at a massive three tower development proposed for the corner of Leon Avenue and Water Street.

Plans call for towers standing at 24, 28 and a whopping 42 storeys, which would be the tallest building between Calgary and Vancouver if approved.

In September, council quashed the developer Anthony Beyrouti's request to have one of the towers consist of primarily of short term rentals.

Beyrouti, owner of the Vancouver-based ticket reseller VenueKings.com, has since made some tweaks to the proposal.

All three towers are now intended to be residential, consisting 650 condominiums in total with a variety of unit types including 50 three-bedroom units.

The towers would be connected by a pedestrian bridge, allowing all residents access to a communal parking garage with 727 stalls.

The project would also contain some commercial office space and street-level commercial retail space.

City staff are supporting the development “due to its ability to deliver a significant amount of residential density to the downtown.”

“The project should help lead revitalization efforts along the Leon Avenue corridor and hopefully will trigger further positive investment and redevelopment,” a staff report to council says.

Staff also mentioned the city’s growth strategy, anticipated to result in “tens of thousands” more people moving to Kelowna in the coming decades and that the focus of that growth is in the downtown area.

Council will consider the development at its Tuesday, Dec. 8 meeting.