The city missed huge opportunity

Dear editor:

Re: “Green hard to find at Central Green,” by Ron Seymour (Courier, Jan. 10).

Great column, Mr. Seymour. You inspired me to write this in the middle of my busy day.

When the former KSS site at Highway 97 and Richter (now called Central Green) was purchased from the school district by the city, I was impressed with the foresight to acquire such a large and contiguous block of land located next to Kelowna’s downtown and not far from the growing hospital and successful college.

That decision gave Kelowna a rare opportunity to create a technology hub or hospital-related science centre. A master plan would allow for the gradual build-out not unlike Landmark Square or even UBC (on a smaller scale). It would become extremely desirable because of its proximity to downtown and the lake.

Live, work and play, all in one neighbourhood. The greatest cities are created with this kind of foresight.

Today, I am not surprised to learn that the city’s alternate vision to create a concentrated block of affordable housing has proceeded, but not panned out with the mix of housing they envisioned. High rises are very expensive to build and therefore must be priced accordingly, making them affordable only to people with higher incomes.

With many other more desirable locations available (and now being built), it only makes sense to the developer that proceeding with a high-rise within Central Green would be risky or foolish.

Considering that the substantial additional expense needed to stabilize the ground for tall buildings was always the case (and one of the arguments just announced by the developer for changing plans). I am not certain the vision of a high rise was ever serious but would be helpful when convincing city staff and council to sell them all that land for only $6 million.

A decade from now, the cluster of unimaginative low-rise affordable-housing buildings located next to a very busy highway might end up being more of a problem than a solution. And sadly, I think we also missed a huge opportunity. Michael Neill Kelowna