Revisions to proposed tower win approval from city staff
Kelowna city council urged to grant permits to allow 20-storey highrise downtown
”Luke ELLA will be a glass highrise with modern concrete condos, all with views, in a quintessential downtown location.
Turri
Revisions to a proposed 20-storey building in downtown Kelowna will make it more visually appealing and contribute to a better pedestrian experience, city staff say.
The five-storey podium to rise from the corner of Ellis Street and Lawrence Avenue now has more architectural features, including additional windows, contrasting facades and a variety of building materials.
New plans also show trees on the top of the podium, a more attractive main entrance and lobby, and the preservation of existing mature trees on Ellis Street.
“The enhanced streetscape will provide an improved pedestrian realm on both Ellis Street and Lawrence Avenue,” reads part of a staff planning report going to a council meeting next Tuesday evening.
The willingness shown by the developer, Mission Group, to make the requested changes has prompted staff to recommend that council grant the necessary development permit and development variance permits.
One variance relates to the overall height of the building, allowing it to rise 20 storeys instead of 13. Another relates to the overall mass of the podium upon which the 15-storey residential tower rests.
Interested members of the public can address council during the public hearing, which begins at 6 p.m.
Dubbed ELLA, for the first two letters of the respective street names, the project includes 5,700 square feet of ground-floor commercial space and 116 condominium units.
The city bought the property, site of a former dry-cleaning business, in 2012 with the intention of eventually selling it for a highrise development when market conditions supported such a project.
“ELLA will be a glass highrise with modern concrete condos, all with views, in a quintessential downtown location one block off Bernard Avenue so people can walk to shopping, restaurants, entertainment and the lake,” company official Luke Turri said last month.