Council will receive two refined proposals for the redevelopment of more than 1000 meters of waterfront property along Pandosy.

(ADAM PROSKIW / iNFOnews.ca)

KELOWNA – The results of a public engagement process regarding the development of 11 city properties along the Pandosy waterfront will go before Council next week.

The two day design charrette took place Feb. 25-26. Residents and representatives from local business chose four options they felt came closest to meeting their objectives for the neighbourhood.

Manager for Strategic Land Development Graham Hood says the primary goal of the project is “to animate the waterfront by increasing public interaction with the lake and creating an additional tourist commercial facility with a public restaurant.”

Two designs out of the four were refined to be presented to the public, staff and Council on Monday. It was decided, based on feedback gathered during the charrette, all 11 city-owned lots be included in the design process instead of only the seven north of Cedar Ave. as was initially planned.

The charrette, prepared by Frank Ducote of Frank Ducote Urban Design, recommends Option 1 and Option 4.

Both options include a Paddle Centre, a large park and a public pier, however Hood says Option 4 comes closest to meeting Council’s objectives.

“Specifically, a park and Paddle Centre are included, pedestrian and park connections are made, riparian setbacks…are respected, parking can be incorporated into the design and Option 4 has the lowest tax impact of the options crafted in the charrette,” he says.

Option 4 includes a new road between Abbott St. and Walnut Ave., a $1 million paddle centre and a public dock for short-term, non-motorized watercraft.

Hood says an initial cost study performed by staff and consultants determined total capital expense associated with Option 1 could be as high as $4.9 million, while expenses for Option 4 would be closer to $4 million.

"Refined Option 1 presents a greater opportunity to phase the associated capital costs through staged development," Hood says. "Refined Option 4 requires much of the infrastructure change be constructed immediately due to the requirment to construct a new Abbott Street. While this also requires an immediate capital influx, a large portion of this outlay can be recaptured through the sale of City owned properties."

To contact the reporter for this story, email Adam Proskiw at aproskiw@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-0428. To contact the editor, email mjones@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-2724.

News from © iNFOnews, 2014