The care facility would feature six-, eight- and 10-storey towers at full build out.
Image Credit: Contributed
November 10, 2015 - 4:30 PM
VERNON - The creation of a large, multi-storey care home in downtown Vernon is moving along, but there are concerns it won’t be much to look at.
The City of Vernon supported several development variances for the project, which includes 90 residential care beds, 52 assisted living units, 72 one- and two-bedroom condo units, and 36 additional assisted living units, all to be phased in over a period of time. Interior Health is funding 85 of the residential care beds.
Tri City Canada Inc. president Casey VanDongen describes the facility, which is planned to be built on the Bennet lot on 29 Avenue, as an ‘aging in place’ complex where seniors could purchase a condo and later move to an assisted care unit in the same building as needed.
The building, which will feature six-, eight-, and 10-storey towers at full build-out, was granted a series of development variances, including those for reduced parking and setbacks, which will allow the project to move forward, but some councillors expressed concerns about the overall look of the building at a council meeting this week.
“It looks like it’s budget challenged,” Coun. Brian Quiring said. “I’m a little disappointed we have to commit ourselves to that architecture for the balance of the other phases.”
Quiring, who described the look of the building as ‘institutional’, expressed an interest in working with the developer on the design in the future.
VanDongen said the firm’s architects are working on a number of different finishes for the $36.5 million building and will be bringing those back in the near future.
Coun. Scott Anderson, for one, is embracing the large construction project with open arms.
“I do share (the) concerns about the aesthetics of this particular proposal but I’m all for the economic development for sure,” Anderson said.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infonews.ca or call 250-309-5230. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2015