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Downtown Redevelopment
Recreating the heart of our city
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News
February 22
City Council voted to rescind second and third reading of the CD21 bylaw and return it to first reading so aspects of the plan can be reviewed. The proposed comprehensive development plan for Downtown will be reviewed during a City Council workshop. At that meeting, councillors can ask detailed questions about the complex plan to revitalize a four-block area between Abbott and Water streets from Highway 97 to Queensway Avenue. The date of the workshop, which the public can attend as spectators, will be announced soon.
January 2010
The City received a response from the Ministry of Transportation about the comprehensive development zone. Staff is reviewing the letter and is expected to report to Council early 2010.
October 27, 2008
Council approved second and third readings of the comprehensive development zone bylaws at its meeting on October 27. The bylaws will move forward for adoption following approval from the provincial Ministry of Transportation.
October 21, 2008
The public hearing on the CD21 Downtown Zone, which began at 4:00 pm Monday afternoon, closed early Tuesday morning at 1:18 am. Council heard from 67 members of the public. Council is scheduled to debate the bylaws during the Monday, October 27 afternoon Council meeting. The three bylaws are:
 OCP Amendment - The area bounded by Harvey Avenue, Abbott Street, Water Street and Queensway Avenue
Comprehensive Downtown Development Bylaw
Downtown Area Amenity Provision Reserve Fund Bylaw
October 20, 2008
A Public Hearing will be held at the Rotary Arts Centre on Monday October 20, 2008 starting at 4 p.m. Those interesting in speaking at the hearing are encouraged to contact the City Clerk’s office at 250 469-8645 to be put on the speakers list. Speakers will be allowed up to five minutes to speak.
October 6, 2008
During this regular meeting of council, a planning report and a presentation was given by staff on the CD Zone and Council heard the initial consideration and the first reading of the zoning bylaw for the Comprehensive Development Zone. Council then forwarded the plan to a Public Hearing set for Monday October 20, 2008.
June 25, 2008
About 150 people attended a public meeting in Council Chambers in which the Advisory Planning Commission heard the application to create a comprehensive development zone for the downtown area.
May 7, 2008
Approximately 300 people attended the third public open house for the Downtown Revitalization initiative. The public viewed information on how input over the last 6 months has been incorporated into a plan which features sustainable design goals and heritage preservation.
At its regular meeting March 31, 2008, staff presented a report answering Council's questions on key aspects of the proposed Comprehensive Development Zone for a four-block area of Kelowna's downtown. Council gave the go ahead for staff to proceed with the third public open house.
Staff spoke to the proposed zone's treatment of:
Affordable Housing - staff are recommending that half of the contribution for affordable housing within the development be homes built at this location, and the other half to be monetary contribution towards the City's Housing Reserve Fund. This allows the City to provide more affordable housing in an area with less expensive property values.
Sustainability - Given the nature of the proposed CD Zone, the City is already meeting many of its sustainability goals with this plan. This sustainability-by-design includes aspects like a strong pedestrian focus, active rooftops and excellent access to transit as well as encouraging mixed use and densification of the site.
Royal Trust Site - Council is seeking public input on the proposed development on the old Royal Trust Site (adjacent to Kerry Park). This site is zoned for commercial use and was the site of the old Royal Trust bank building, now an undeveloped green space. In the proposed CD Zone, a hotel would be built on the site. The design intends for this space to be a significant public focal-point with issues of safety and public access and amenities (possibly a public washroom) in mind.
Heritage preservation - although many of the heritage buildings in the area have been altered over the years, it is the City's intention to preserve the current heritage facades in this development, with the taller buildings in the zone set back to preserve the look and feel of the heritage buildings. The intention of the development is also to revisit the area's history, harkening back to the Kelowna docks with the development of the pier and waterfront gathering place.
March 31, 2008
The CD Zone plan involves the four block area of Kelowna's downtown between Queensway and Harvey and Water and Abbott.
February 11, 2008
Council received a detailed report on the downtown revitalization initiative. Council received a list of amenities for the new development, including 1.51 acres of outdoor park and public spaces, a public plaza, pier, affordable housing, and daycare or meeting spaces. Staff will be working with Council and interest groups in the near future to answer questions raised during the Council meeting before taking the information to a public open house.
The City received over 1,200 completed surveys on the Downtown Revitalization initiative.
The westerly portion of the downtown core of Kelowna is a vital gateway to our City. Unfortunately there has been little redevelopment in the area over the past 20 years despite initiatives encouraging change. At its August 20, 2007 meeting, Kelowna City Council has begun the process that could see a Comprehensive Development Plan to guide redevelopment of four city blocks of the downtown. The City has, for many years, had very large revitalization goals for our downtown. To date however, we have only been able to take small steps towards achieving these goals. The opportunity available to us today to plan this area comprehensively and put in place a plan where each building, road or public space complements one another is an opportunity that should not be missed.
Council wants the plan to meet the key principles for downtown redevelopment as outlined in:
- the report from the Director of Corporate Services dated August 15, 2007
- the Spaxman Report of June 2007
The plan is expected to define and specify all required development regulations including
- footprint, form, character,
- height, density and use
- all amenities
- servicing requirements for all future development within the zone. The plan will also ensure that fair and equitable sharing of both development rights and cost, including provision of amenities, occurs amongst all property owners, including the City of Kelowna, within the zone. Amenities can include a public square, landscaping, affordable housing, community centres, child care centres, cultural facilities, schools, public art, etc.
The Study Area
The area defined for this
redevelopment opportunity
is bounded by Water St. to the east,
Abbott and Mill Streets to the west,
Queensway to the north,
and Highway 97 to the south.
Background
The City has worked to improve this part of our downtown for many years through several initiatives that were intended to encourage the private sector to redevelop the area. These have included:
 The Downtown Plan which was first approved in 1999 and contained many action items, some of which have been implemented. This plan has recently been reviewed with further recommendations coming forward (Spaxman Report). These recommendations will be fundamental in moving forward with a comprehensive downtown revitalization.- Property Tax Exemptions: under provincial legislation, the City can provide tax “holidays” for specific periods of time in order to encourage revitalization of a defined area. There has been no interest in this opportunity.
- Dumpster Removal Program: For several years, the City worked with the Downtown Kelowna Association to introduce a program to remove the garbage dumpsters in the alleys to create a more positive, safer environment and encourage business uses in the alleys. This has been widely acknowledged as a success for our community.
- Design Guidelines: are in place for the C7 zone to define positive design for the downtown.
- Way-finding Sign Project: In 2003, the City approved a report to identify locations, design and content of way-finding signs for the downtown. Placement of the signs is almost complete and a certificate of recognition was given for this initiative by BC Heritage.
- A Committee and a Task Force. There has been a committee or task force reporting to City Council on the downtown for many years.
 Chapman Parkade: The parkade was rebuilt in 2002/2003 to provide a safe and attractive facility, featuring retail at the sidewalk level and incorporating aspects of accessible and safe (CPTED) design.- Streetscape Improvements: The plan has not yet been formally adopted by City Council however a number of newly constructed projects have implemented the proposed streetscape plan (ie. Richter and Water St. upgrades).
- Relocation of the Kelowna Gospel Mission services on Leon Ave.. The City has worked with the KGM since 2003 to enhance and relocate its services presently situated on Leon Ave.. Longer term programs have left this site, new services have been established in other parts of the City and the Thrift Store is relocating. Many effective measures have been introduced to enhance safety and end loitering at this location. The KGM now needs to fund-raise to have a new building at a new location for the shelter component of its services. The City has already contributed to the fund-raising campaign & will continue to work with the KGM.
The City feels that the most westerly portion of our downtown is such a vitally important area that it should function as the heart of our city. We need to guide and nurture its redevelopment and be clear about what our community wants in order to ensure a healthy future for this area. Consistent with the Downtown Plan, the following have been identified as the 11 key principles for redevelopment and revitalization of the study area:
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Enhance Kelowna’s identity nationally and internationally and enhance the identity of downtown as Kelowna’s Principle Centre.
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Develop a viable mixed use community that supports live, work and play opportunities for both residents and visitors.
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Develop safe streets by providing more eyes and ears on the streets to reduce demand for law enforcement in the area.
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Incorporate sustainable design principles by making efficient use of existing infrastructure, provide a stronger tax base, create an urban environment that facilitates pedestrian movement, incorporate a mixture of uses at densities that are economically viable and that will support public transit and incorporate green building technologies.
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Expand community amenities by enhancing public use of City, Kerry and Stuart Parks, developing a major pier and enhanced short term public moorage, ensuring continuous public access along the lake, preserving identified view corridors, developing streetscape improvements consistent with a world class urban centre, increasing public open space and providing for a range of other amenities including eventual daycare facilities and school facilities in appropriate locations in the downtown.
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Create a community feel that integrates well with adjoining areas including the identified parks and Culture District.
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Incorporate housing diversity in the downtown by providing a range of housing types and tenures including affordable and special needs housing.
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Respect the areas Heritage assets.
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Provide for downtown amenity contributions as a condition of development shared by all benefiting lands, including future downtown redevelopment where appropriate and where possible (i.e. daycare facilities, schools, offsite affordable housing)
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Honour the City’s agreement with the Province for movement of vehicles into and out of Kelowna for the new Bill Bennett Bridge.
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Act as a catalyst for redevelopment for the remainder of downtown.
The design of the redevelopment is yet to be determined however an early conceptual plan is available to view. Generally, the concept must nurture the downtown experience and incorporate the 11 principles identified earlier. Building frontages should relate closely to the sidewalks and mixed use development with residential above commercial space is encouraged. This will ensure that the area is populated day and night, as well as enable people to live close to where they work and conduct day to day business. High rise development would be focused towards the centre of city blocks so as not to create imposing facades at the street level. These high rise spaces would provide premium views of the natural attributes of the lake, hills and valley, while not blocking the views for the general public. The waterfront needs to remain public and open so it continues to provide the incomparable park experience that Kelowna is famous for. Views to the water front, particularly along Bernard, Mill and Abbott St. should be maximized.
As part of its on-going efforts to realize improvements in the study area of downtown, City staff have met with many developers to discuss ideas and opportunities. City Council has now directed Staff to prepare a detailed redevelopment plan for the area.
Staff will be referring to an early conceptual plan that was created in concert with a private developer (Westcorp Properties) as a “base” for discussion purposes with the public and other land owners in the area.. This conceptual plan has had extensive City input and does to adhere to the City principles for redevelopment of this area. The plan is now ready to receive public input.
Having this design work funded by the private sector enables the City to move more quickly to achieve improvements in this area as opposed to funding the initiative with tax dollars alone. The process belongs to our community and the intent is to ensure that a final plan is one that will have the participation and support of our citizens.
Descriptions and illustrations of the experiences the City would like to achieve in the heart of its downtown for its community and visitors alike are provided:
Public Spaces
Some of the features the City would like to realize in this venture would be:
- many more public spaces, as part of the urban fabric – street cafes & water features
- improved park area, where people can mingle and enjoy the outdoor – public squares
- outdoor living as part of the downtown experience – rooftop gardens and patios
Buildings that Relate to the Street
The City would be striving to achieve buildings that relate well to the street experience with windows and entrances at street level that offer views of the streetscape, as well as invitations to enter, increasing the safety of the downtown experience.
Maximizing the Beauty of the Location
 The most westerly part of downtown has access to lakefront and mountain views second to none, along with beautiful public park areas that allow people to enjoy this experience. Redevelopment of this area should result in view corridors at street level, as well as from buildings, that maximize views of the natural waterfront and mountains and honour this fabulous location. This could include improvements to existing park areas.
The picture at right is an example of an artist’s concept of possible park improvements.
The design of the redevelopment is yet to be determined, however an early conceptual plan will be available to view at the public open house. Generally, the concept must nurture the downtown experience and incorporate the 11 principles identified earlier. Building frontages should relate closely to the sidewalks and mixed use development with residential above commercial space is encouraged. This will ensure that the area is populated day and night, as well as enable people to live close to where they work and conduct day to day business. High rise development would be focused towards the centre of city blocks so as not to create imposing facades at the street level. These high rise spaces would provide premium views of the natural attributes of the lake, hills and valley, while not blocking the views for the general public. The waterfront needs to remain public and open so it continues to provide the incomparable park experience that Kelowna is famous for. Views to the water front, particularly along Bernard, Mill and Abbott St. should be maximized.
Contact Us
If you have thoughts or questions beyond the scope of the survey, we’d like to hear from you. Your responses will be reviewed by City Staff, considered and incorporated into the planning process. Please email, fax or mail your comments to:
Real Estate & Building Services
City Hall, 1435 Water St.
Kelowna, B.C., V1Y 1J4
E-mail: downtown@kelowna.ca
Fax: 250 862-3349
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