UBCO tower is a ‘monstrosity’

DEAR EDITOR:

UBCO has recently increased the height of its proposed downtown Kelowna tower to 46 storeys from the original plan for 35 storeys – a difference of 11 storeys or an increase of 31% in height.

Ryan Smith, top city planner, describes this as “a little flexibility in the final overall height” (The Daily Courier, June 14, UBCO stretches out ‘vertical’ campus plan).

The increase to 46 storeys is to obtain additional residential units. The staff report stated that this type of density would not normally be supported for private development. This project is being presented as a UBCO downtown campus even though less than 20% will be for academic use and the remaining 80% will be for commercial and residential housing.

Kelowna’s 2040 Official Community Plan (OCP) signed off by council in January 2022 set the maximum to 26 storeys for the city (C7 Map A), so this proposed height of 46 storeys is 20 storeys higher than permitted.

To achieve the increase in height, a public hearing will be held at 6 p.m. July 26 to change the zoning to CD28 from C7. Commercial schools such as UBCO are a “principal use” in C7 zoning so this change in zoning is not required and the 10 storeys of academic use can easily fit into the 26 storeys permitted for this area with room to spare.

There are so many issues with this project that aren’t presented… where will the excess water be pumped to, to construct four levels of parking below the lake level? Is it feasible? Where will four levels of excavated material be dumped? What will be the impact of a 46-storey tower on our sewage treatment facility? What is the impact on shading of the area? What will happen to the vacant units between May and September? What is UBCO’s plans for these? What is the impact of paving the footprint except for a sliver of green space on St. Paul Street and Doyle Avenue in terms of surface runoff, lack of green space, the heat island effect? And on it goes.

The city has approved in the last several years, tower after tower in downtown Kelowna that required a height variance. However, this modern 46-storey tower which will be 80% non-academic may be approved because it is UBCO. This is just another predominantly residential building which will loom over the city in all directions. This height is so extreme that it is time to say stop. The towers are getting higher and higher, and this modern, extremely high tower is nothing short of a monstrosity.

The downtown belongs to all communities from Glenmore to Rutland, to central Kelowna, to the Kettle Valley area. This is not the time to turn a blind eye and to be complacent. Action is required by all residents, or this will be approved and more of this will follow. Attendance at the public hearing is critical and letters to the mayor and council are extremely important.

More information will be available Thursday, July 21 at 7 pm across from city hall. Stop this UBCO Tower!

The sky is not the limit…

Susan Ames, Kelowna