Plans for a new high-rise in downtown Kelowna have been submitted to city hall.
The development application from Mission Group and Victor Projects calls for a 34-storey mixed-use building on the northeast corner of Water Street and Lawrence Avenue.
The site is currently home to a parking lot, the two-storey Downtown Business Centre and another small building that fronts Water Street.
As a partnership, Mission Group and Victor Projects say they are committed to meeting the needs of Kelowna’s future growth through this proposal.
“The project will provide a healthy mix of uses, including multifamily residential and retail spaces, to bolster the diverse vibrancy of the downtown area,” the development application says.
“In addition, the project will incorporate high-quality design that will enhance the public realm and serve as an inspiring addition to the city’s skyline.”
The 109-metre tall building would feature retail space and a lobby at ground level below a four-level parkade, which would create a podium for 27 storeys of residential units above.
Those would be split into seven floors of rentals, 19 floors of for-sale condos and a penthouse on the 32nd floor. The top two floors would be reserved for the building’s mechanical rooms.
In total, this project would produce 88 rental units, nearly half of which would be one bedroom, and 173 buyable units, with 57 one-bedroom units and 76 two-bedroom units.
The rest of the units through all floors would primarily be studios or one-bedroom-plus-den, with 20 three-bedroom units for sale as well.
With 261 total units, the building would have 266 parking spots and the Chapman Parkade is directly across the street.
There would also be a mix of outdoor and indoor amenity spaces for residents, including two main outdoor areas.
Rental residents would get access to an “extensive outdoor landscaped terrace” on the sixth floor, while condo residents would get a “stunning outdoor pool and terrace facing Okanagan Lake” on the 13th floor.
The development application notes that the asymmetrical shaping of the tower was designed to provide a corner view for the majority of condo units.
It also includes the unique concept of an enclosed balcony system for those units, “so that the residents could enjoy an uninterrupted view of the landscape within the comfort of their furnished balconies through all seasons.”
“From an urban perspective, this aids in avoiding the vacant and inactive balconies commonly seen throughout the colder months,” the application explains.
“The aesthetics of the continuous glazing of the enclosed balconies visually offsets the significant percentage of opaque walls behind it, achieving both visual lightness of glazed tower and respectable energy efficiency target.”
This application was accepted by city hall on Thursday and it will now make its way through Kelowna’s planning department before arriving on the desk of council in a few months.
