No special order for The Wedge
Height variance requested by developer but denied by Kelowna city council
A developer was hoping for thick-crust – six storeys – for a triangular property downtown but had to settle for regular crust - two storeys – for The Wedge.
“The only question now is to determine whether this will focus on pizza being The Wedge,” joked Coun. Brad Sieben as city council approved a development permit for the sliced-down version on Monday.
In June 2020, the six-storey mixed-use version submitted by The Wedge Enterprises for the corner of Water Street and Leon Avenue received a cold reception from councillors and neighbours but still received a development permit, now expired.
The reheated project envisions a restaurant on the ground floor with mezzanine on the second floor and cafe on the rooftop, all occupied by one tenant, said planner Terry Barton, noting the unusually-shaped property is a remnant of a Water Street realignment by the city.
Coun. Charlie Hodge questioned why the city would only require two parking spaces since a restaurant would likely attract a larger number of patrons. The property’s small size meant no room for parking, responded Barton, so the developer would pay $66,000 cash-in-lieu (for two spots) to the city.
Restaurants with large capacities on Water and Bernard Avenue also can’t provide on-site parking, said Barton, adding there are other ways to get downtown than driving. “I’m actually really pleased with this design, “said Coun. Luke Stack. “It’s totally the right solution for this lot.”
“When this came to us with the six storeys, I was completely against it,” said Coun. Maxine DeHart. “I didn’t like the parking. I didn’t like the building. Nothing jibed. I think this is perfect... a nice addition... a nice little space.”
“This has been kind of a dead zone for a long time and this finishes off a freaky corner for us, especially with a lot of development happening across the street,” added Sieben.