Ellis Street Streetscaping
The Vision
With the recent development along the Ellis Street corridor between Doyle and Cawston Avenues, the City of Kelowna has set out to develop a streetscaping concept plan in anticipation of increased pedestrian traffic and further development in this area.
The concept aims to create a more pedestrian-friendly environment by adding left turn lanes along Ellis Street, installing curb bulbs for street trees and other vegetation as a traffic calming measure, and adding other public amenities including bicycle parking, seating and public art. The plan also desires to maintain the character of the Cultural District by utilizing tree grates and pedestrian-orientated lighting.
Public Consultation
On September 18, more than 40 people attended an Open House. Participants were able to view a detailed presentation of the design concept
and were asked to provide feedback through a short survey.
View the presentation
online.
The Concept Plan
The Ellis Street Streetscaping Concept Plan includes:
- enhanced sidewalks
- pedestrian-orientated streetlights
- curb bulbs
- new crosswalk at Ellis Street and Smith Ave (Library Parkade)
- tree grates
- shared bicycle and motor vehicle lanes
- left-turn lanes
Traffic and Vehicle Requirements
The Ellis Street Streetscaping Concept Plan recognizes that Ellis Street is an important commercial vehicle route which directs traffic efficiently to the main highway and the bridge.
While this throughfare will be maintained, the concept plan calls for new left-turn lanes along Ellis at Doyle Avenue and Smith Avenue to provide safe access to the Library Parkade, curb bulbs to calm thru traffic, and roadway improvements to accommodate bicycles and motorized vehicles.
Sidewalks and Building Frontages
Due to space constraints, the sidewalks along this stretch of Ellis Street cannot be widened, except where curb bulbs may occur. Thus, in order to create a more pedestrian-friendly atmosphere, the Ellis Street Streetscaping Concept Plan hopes to encourage redeveloping landowners to set back their buildings by a few metres to provide space for café seating and outdoor merchandising. Owners would have the opportunity to pick a uniform sidewalk material that would be used on both the public right-of-way and on the adjoining surface in front of the development - giving the perception of wider sidewalks in the area. At either end of the frontage, a sidewalk inlay would provide a transition to the next frontage improvement.
Parking
Currently, there are 36 parking stalls along the east side of Ellis Street between Doyle and Cawston Avenues. The addition of left-turn lanes along Ellis Street, at Doyle and Smith Avenues, will result in the loss of 10 stalls. Additionally, up to four stalls along Smith Avenue and Cawston Avenue would also be removed for curb bulbs and crosswalk enhancements. However, the Concept Plan provides for seven stalls to be added on the west side of Ellis Street between Cawston and Smith Avenues, amounting to a total of 29 parking stalls along this corridor at completion.
Contact
If you have any further questions about this project, please contact:
Pat McCormick
Planner Specialist
City of Kelowna
250 469-8605
pmccormick@kelowna.ca
