Condos proposed near KGH
44 condominiums, 6 townhouses could be built on properties now occupied by 3 single-family homes
A major new high-density development, the first of its kind in the hospital district, would include 50 new homes in a short stretch of Ethel Street.
Forty-four condominiums and six townhouses could be built on what are now three single-family-home properties between 2240 and 2260 Ethel St.
The proposal is the first to come forward under the city’s new hospital and health support services zoning designation, designed to boost the number of people living around Kelowna General Hospital.
“The project will be the first significant development within the HD2 designated area along Ethel Street,” reads part of a staff planning report going to city council on Monday.
“The HD2 zone facilitates the development of multi-family residential buildings in order to provide this type of housing with close proximity to Kelowna General Hospital and the Cottonwoods care centre for potential employees to live in this area, thus reducing reliance on vehicles,” the report says.
Plans show four-storey buildings covering almost two-thirds of the site, a ratio that would require a variance to be granted by council. Other necessary variances relate to the front- and rearyard setbacks.
Staff recommend council grant first reading to the rezoning pro- posal and forward the matter to a public hearing so interested members of the community could have their say.
Aside from the site’s proximity to KGH, city planners say higher density housing is justified given the number of parks, schools, shopping centres and transit routes in the area.