Downtown highrise rounds up supporters
Proponents of what would be Kelowna’s tallest building are enlisting the support of nearby property owners for the 430-foot tower.
The owner of the Kelly O’Bryan’s restaurant and the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce are among those endorsing Westcorp’s plans for a combined hotel and luxury residence at the base of Queensway.
“I am excited about being neighbour to potentially the best hotel in Kelowna,” Reginal Henry, chief executive officer of Kelly O’Bryan’s Neighborhood Restaurants writes in his letter of support.
“I am extremely excited with the innovative design of the hotel and residences and think that it will raise the bar on our waterfront in a spectacular way,” says Henry, whose two-storey, Bernard Avenue building is immediately south of the proposed development site.
Tom Dyas, president of the 1,300member chamber, says the proposed hotel would be a “keystone for the long-term development of the downtown core” in his letter of support, sent to city council at the end of January.
The 33-storey tower — with 174 hotel suites, 49 luxury homes, and a convention centre — represents a major investment by Westcorp in downtown Kelowna, Dyas says.
“Council’s decision on this matter will signal to the private sector whether our city welcomes exceptional development projects,” he says.
Representatives of Westcorp say they’ve met with every property owner around the proposed development site. “We have received no negative feedback from our surrounding neighbours,” company spokeswoman Gail Temple says.
About 100 people attended an open house hosted by Westcorp in January, where revisions to the original development plans were explained.
Those changes include increasing the height from 24 storeys, adding a restaurant on the 16th floor, and setting the building slightly further back from Kerry Park than was first planned.
“Attendees were very hopeful and passionate about seeing the hotel finally become a reality because we have an opportunity to create a world-class venue that will affect our city and regional positively for years to come,” Temple says.
But city planners will recommend to council next Tuesday that the project be rejected. It’s too tall, they say, will cast too many shadows, and will “overwhelm” the surrounding streetscape.
“The proposal’s overall size, height, and massing are overwhelming for the subject property and its unique downtown context,” city planners write in a report to council.