Little bit of Big Apple in apple country
It’s called Brooklyn at Bernard Block and it’s the latest downtown condominium tower to be announced in Kelowna’s highrise boom.
“Downtown is no longer emerging, it has arrived,” said Luke Turri of Mission Group, the developer behind the proposed 25storey project on the old Bargain Shop site at the corner of Bernard Avenue and St. Paul Street.
“Brooklyn will be phase one of three. The other two highrises will front Bernard Avenue. But we’re treating it all as one site and planning for all condos to have great views.”
Brooklyn will be what Turri refers to as “attainable downtown highrise living.”
All of the one-bedroom, one-bedroom-with-den and two-bedroom units will be under 1,000 square feet and have more entry-level fixtures and finishings.
That will keep the price down so condo prices can start in the $300,000 range and be affordable to some first-time and on-themove homebuyers.
As well, Brooklyn is zoned for short-term rentals, so, if they want, owners can rent them out when they are away from home.
The first five floors of Brooklyn will be parking hidden behind a facade that includes retail at street level.
The design not only provides necessary parking in a carefully concealed manner, but means even condos at the lowest level on the sixth floor will have views.
It’s the same strategy being employed at the 20-storey Ella condo tower being built by Mission Group two blocks away at the corner of Ellis Street and Lawrence Avenue.
Ella is more luxurious with larger, more expensive, units.
So, Mission Group wanted to tap into a new market with Brooklyn’s lower price point.
Brooklyn will also have a rooftop garden that will be for residents in all three Bernard Block towers.
With the development permit application going into the City of Kelowna on Monday, there are still a lot of details up in the air.
You can register your interest at LiveAtBrooklyn.com.
However, sales won’t start until August when prices have been finalized and the sales centre and show suite open in the former Bargain Shop building.
If all goes well, construction could start in early 2019 for completion in early 2021.
The two additional towers, with retail fronting Bernard, will come on stream as the market demands.
Mission Group is on a highrise condo development tear.
Besides the under-construction Ella, it also plans to build the Aqua neighbourhood immediately south of the Hotel Eldorado with 350 homes in 16-14-and-12storey towers.
Mission Group is also building the low-rise U condos adjacent to UBC Okanagan and low-rise condos at the Central Green neighbourhood at the corner of Highway 97 and Richter Street.
Kelowna’s skyline is also changing with the 21-storey 1151 Sunset Drive condo nearing completion.
Highrise proposals will also see Kelowna’s tallest building, a 36storey condo, go up as part of the One Water Street development, which also includes a 29-storey tower.
Three highrises are proposed surrounding Prospera Place and a 33-storey hotel-condo is planned beside Kerry Park.