Rezoning approved for resort

Plans for Aqua project on Mission lakeshore show 350 suites in 3 towers ranging from 13 to 19 storeys

Detailed plans for the height, location and appearance of three highrise towers on Kelowna’s shoreline will come before council by mid-summer.

But expectations are the proposal will closely match the concept plan that has already been unveiled for the Aqua project south of the Hotel Eldorado.

“We look forward to working with city staff over the next few months on the next step of the development process,” Luke Turri of Mission Group said Wednesday.

“Our intention all along has to be quite transparent about what we want to develop on the site, so the final design should be quite close to what we’ve presented so far,” Turri said.

Over some objections of neighbours and others who spoke at a public hearing Tuesday night, council unanimously approved the rezoning necessary for the Aqua project to move forward.

Plans shown so far indicate 350 suites in towers of 13, 16 and 19 storeys, as well as some commercial premises. There’s also a large indoor boat storage facility that would be built closer to Lakeshore Road.

The city’s official community plan has long envisioned a touristcommercial project on the site, bounded by Lakeshore, Cook Road and Truswell Road.

The city clerk’s office received 30 pieces of correspondence on the Aqua project — 19 from people who were against it and 11 from people who hope to see it realized.

Typical objections related to traffic, noise and the overall size of the development.