‘Twisted’ tower touted for Capri
A comprehensive remaking of the Capri Centre mall will start with a 22-storey tower and eventually include other tall buildings, an ice rink, amphitheatre and many new shops.
Kelowna city council on Monday will consider the design for the first new building proposed as a result of a years-long planning for the southeast corner of Gordon Drive and Harvey Avenue.
The tower, to have 221 suites, would be located on what is now a parking lot on the mall’s southern perimeter, at the intersection of Capri Street and Sutherland Avenue.
“The proposed tower takes the form of three stacked symmetrical boxes, which are gently ‘twisted’ to create subtle asymmetry that draws focus to the amenity floors of the building,” reads part of a city staff report to council.
A plan for Capri Mall, Kelowna’s first car-centric shopping plaza that dates back to the late 1950s, was approved by city council in 2016. As well as approving the specific design of the 22-storey tower, council will be asked Monday to approve a master development permit for other stages of new construction on the property.
Those include six other towers, five of 22 storeys and one of 26 storeys, new townhouses, a minimum of 18,000 square metres of new commercial development, internal parks, and a main courtyard that holds a public skating rink in summer and serves as an amphitheatre in summer.
A new grocery store is planned; the Capri Hotel will remain.