Downtown dirt pile could be transformed into twin towers
Two new towers, each 15 storeys high, would make a suitable “gateway” project to downtown Kelowna, city staff say.
The large-scale residential development, with 319 suites, would also include a grocery store, a restaurant and 17,000 square feet of commercial space.
It’s planned for the northwest corner of Water Street and Ellis Street, directly north of Prospera Place. The vacant site currently has a massive dirt pile on it, a remnant of a Westin hotel project that was announced more than a decade ago but never proceeded.
City officials have long hoped to see a major development to replace the ill-fated hotel, and staff offer high praise for the project that will come before council on Monday.
“The site is a key gateway into downtown Kelowna, which will be well anchored by this significant project,” planner Ryan Roycroft writes in a report to council.
“Developing the site with intensive mixed use is appropriate based on the neighbourhood context and will contribute to the development of a vibrant downtown,” Roycroft says.
Hundreds of truckloads of dirt were placed on the site to compact the soil for construction of the highrise hotel that was never built.
Over the years, aside from being an eyesore, the dirt pile has become a redoubt for homeless people, with squatter camps on the top hidden from street level. A missing man’s body was found atop the dirt pile on Jan. 3.
The proposed development coming before council, from North American Development Group, would have 151 rental suites in the south tower, 132 strata units in the north tower, and 36 townhouses on Sunset Drive.