Controversial building gets go ahead
A controversial medical services building next to Kelowna General Hospital has been re-designed to incorporate some materials said to be more in keeping with the look of the historic Abbott Street residential area.
Brick and wood elements have been added to the three-storey building, the structure has been downsized slightly, and the windows have been changed to provide a more retro look.
“I’m really glad to see the applicant has listened to the concerns that were raised at the public hearing,” Coun. Mohini Singh said.
“I think it’s a great transition from KGH to the residential area,” said Mayor Colin Basran.
But Coun. Charlie Hodge, who cast the lone vote against approving the development permit, said the re-design didn’t satisfy his concerns about the building.
“I think it’s a beautiful building. I like it,” Hodge said. “I don’t think it’s in the right spot. I don’t think it fits the form or the character of the area.”
Dr. Heather Martin bought the property at the corner of Abbott Street and Strathcona Avenue, immediately west of KGH, over the objections of Interior Health three years ago. The health authority had eyed the property for hospital expansion, but council accepted Martin submitted an offer that was more to the then-owner’s liking.
Since buying the property, Martin’s plans for developing the site into a 25,000-square foot mixed-use building with doctor’s offices, a coffee shop, and two private residences have encountered strong neighbourhood opposition.
Coun. Luke Stack on Monday recalled that a previous public meeting on the development plan had been a “raucous” affair, and Hodge said the majority of those who attended were against the proposal.
Critics said the overall design was too imposing and was not in keeping with the architectural style in the Abbott Street Heritage Conservation District.
Others said there was no need to introduce a commercial component to the neighbourhood.
But Basran said that, if the property had been bought by Interior Health, the development would likely have been a another “boxy-looking building or a parkade.”