Heritage committee not sold on new design

Owner of 409 Park Ave. based blueprint on the historic farmhouses from the early 1900s

The proposed design of a house in Kelowna’s oldest neighbourhood has failed to impress the City of Kelowna Heritage Advisory Committee.

Members unanimously passed a recommendation of non-support at Thursday’s committee meeting.

It was the latest setback for property owners Dave Cullen and Brenda Rusnak. They now have to decide whether to work with city staff to make changes to their design, or appeal to city council to let them proceed.

409 Park Ave. has become a controversial piece of property.

The home that recently stood on the lot was built in 1907, but the property owners successfully applied to have the home removed from the city’s heritage registry, arguing the building was structurally unsound.

They then demolished it and applied to rezone the property so they could divide it into two lots.

The chain of events prompted a vocal response from heritage advocates, warning a “death knell” loomed for the Abbott Street Heritage Conservation Area.

Nevertheless, council approved the application to rezone at a public hearing last week, sending the proposed design to the heritage committee for consideration.

The applicants said the design bases its inspiration on the historic Kelowna farmhouses from the early 20th Century – but does not mimic them, rather re-interprets them into a contemporary design.

“The resulting design is both compatible and respectful of the neighbourhood,” said the applicant.

However, the heritage committee was not sold.