Rejected proposal for three Kelowna highrises could be back before council in fall
Even though Kelowna city council turned down three proposed highrises the developer is hoping to refine the proposal and come back in the fall.
Safari Capital Ltd. bought up 16 properties in the 500 and 600 block of Coronation Avenue and wanted to put up towers of 33, 27 and 20 storeys in an area that only allows 12 storeys.
City council, on the recommendation of staff, said no to the project yesterday, July 25.
“I encourage the applicant to work with staff to find a solution,” Coun. Brad Sieben said at the meeting. “I think this brings a lot to what we’re trying to achieve in this area.”
That was echoed by Mayor Colin Basran.
“I like the architecture in the project,” he said. “I think it’s a really nice looking project but it’s just beyond where I think it should be.”
Those words took the sting out of the rejection of the project that was given an early consideration by council because city staff recommended against it.
“We were encouraged that... everyone in the room seemed to acknowledge that this was a unique opportunity that deserved further consideration,” Perry Safari, co-founder of Safari Capital of Vancouver who is trying to redevelop the land, said in an email to iNFOnews.ca.
“We look forward to working with planning staff in the coming months to revise and develop our vision for this property, and return to council in the fall with something exciting that delivers substantial benefits to the community in this area of the downtown core.”
One of the reasons for rejecting the proposal was that a four-storey parking podium would stretch the entire length of the project, under the three towers.
City guidelines call for more ground level openings.
The main reason for rejecting the project for staff and councillors was based on the colouring of a newly adopted downtown highrise map that stops just short of these lands.
READ MORE: Where high is too high for downtown Kelowna towers
That map shows heights of 20 to 26 storeys being allowed along the west side of St. Paul Street almost from Bernard Avenue north to Clement Avenue, near the 35-storey One Water Street tower.
But, on the east side of St. Paul Street, the maximum heights drop down to 12 storeys between Cawston Avenue to Clement Avenue. Coronation Street is in between those two.
“I think an argument could be made for extending our maximum heights all along the east side of St. Paul to Clement and, if that were to be the case, then you’ve got two frontages on St. Paul,” Basran said. “I think there’s some potential logic there for something like that.”
The application covers 16 lots from St. Paul Street east to the laneway near Richter Street. It stretches along the south side of the street.
Safari Capital, however, has also bought nine or 10 properties on the north side of Coronation Street starting at St. Paul Street.
Because the new map was just adopted by council earlier this year, councillors said it would be sending the wrong message to people living in that neighbourhood if the plans were changed so quickly.
When asked why the higher heights were not allowed on that part of St. Paul Street, the city's Urban Planning Manager, Terry Barton, told council it mostly had to do with orderly development and putting some limits on how much land could be used for 26 storey towers.
He also pointed out that the Safari project was being proposed on the belief that other highrises, including the UBC Okanagan tower just down the street, would not only be approved but also built.
“If some of the other tower proposals come forth and - now we are talking five or 10 years down the road - does this proposal make more sense?” Barton said. "Potentially, but we find it hard recommending support at this time when there are so many unknowns.”
READ MORE: iN PHOTOS: More than 500 storeys of new highrises in pipeline for downtown Kelowna
UBCO is going to council tonight for approval to build a 46-storey tower. One Varsity, which is being proposed by Kerkhoff Developments who built the 35-storey One Water Street, has yet to go to council but is already being promoted online as a 36-storey tower.
“It (Safari’s proposal) is not that far off from where we are at now, when we look at other sites in that area that we know will be redeveloped in the next – it could be five years, it could be two years, it could be 10,” Coun. Brad Sieben said. “To me, I think there’s potential here and, I think, it would be an opportunity missed if we can’t find a solution that’s amenable.”
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