The City of Kelowna has received proposed plans for three lofty high-rises that would drastically alter Leon Avenue.
Penticton-based HDR Architecture Associates has submitted the plans to City Hall that call for an 18-storey hotel and two residential towers, with the first being 24-storeys and the other standing 36-storeys.
Positioned on the north side of Leon Ave, the two towers would combine for 600 residential units and the 18-storey hotel across the street would provide 216 hotel suites.
A mass timbre pedestrian overpass over Leon Avenue would connect the residential towers to the hotel.
North Vancouver businessman Anothony Beyrouti owns the city lots the towers would be built on, Sapphire Nightclub, the former home of the Habitat nightclub and Boyds Autobody on the corner currently occupy the block.
According to Beyrouti, if the project is approved and completed, the developers intend to donate $100,000 annually for 10 years towards Kelowna's initiatives to help the homeless.
"We need to work with people who are invested in the community," said Beyrouti to KelownaNow.
"We've put together a program to work with the city on the issues surrounding homelessness in Kelowna because we want to do our part."
The application requests 239 fewer parking stalls than city regulations mandate, however, it suggests that less parking is required due to the fact one building is a hotel.
Developers are seeking a permit to allow short-term rentals in the residential towers as well as two large street-facing digital display screens.
A height variance for the 36-storey tower is also requested, meaning a public hearing will have to be conducted before the project can be approved.
Vancouver ticket reselling company Venue Kings has commissioned the project, that arrived at City Hall two months after long-time tenants Boyd's Autobody and neighbouring Eco-Clean terminated their leases.
A timeline for when the project will be considered by council is currently unknown.
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