Get Involved
Interested residents are invited to attend an Open House:
Rutland Centennial Hall
180 Rutland Road N
Thursday, August 25, 2011
4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Drop by to view the proposed plans and provide comment. City staff will be available to answer questions.
Rutland Town Centre Charrette
The City of Kelowna hosted a workshop June 23 and 24, 2010 to formulate an urban design concept for an area within the Rutland Town Centre.
Participants of the workshop included: residents, Uptown Rutland Business Association (URBA), Rutland Parks Society, BC Transit, Urban Development Institute, Kelowna Chamber of Commerce, UBC Okanagan, developers, YMCA-YWCA, Cycling Coalition and the Rutland Community Policing Office.
The participants were divided into three teams. Each team was led by a pair of urban planning design consultants.
Subject Area
Background
Team 1 Concept Plan
Team 2 Concept Plan
Team 3 Concept Plan
Team Evaluations
Next Steps
Background
The Uptown Rutland Market Assessment
While the Subject Area is deemed to have sufficient potential as a node of residential and commercial activity, it has failed to attract significant private-sector investment.
The Uptown Rutland Market Assessment
was undertaken in 2009 to assess the potential to attract retail investment and to identify the factors that could be discouraging investment in the Subject Area. It was a joint initiative of the City of Kelowna and the Uptown Rutland Business Association.
The study determined that residents within the surrounding area will choose to shop in Rutland given the right conditions. According to the assessment, the Subject Area also has the potential to attract spending from a growing student population at UBCO and the growing tourism market associated with Big White. The study determined however, that:
“In order to foster retail expansion, Uptown Rutland will need to seek an alternative retail format composed of independent retailers which can be attracted to the district via strong, urban placemaking that is focused on a more pedestrian-oriented scale.”
The market assessment also highlighted the opportunity to develop the Subject Area according to the principles of Transit-Oriented Development (TOD). In this scenario, higher density residential development occurs within a 5- to 10-minute walking distance of a public transportation facility. According to the principles of TOD, public transit is a key facet of any strategy to create a dynamic, economically-viable town centre.
Bus Exchange
The opportunity to capitalize on TOD presents itself in the form of an on-street bus exchange which will be constructed in 2011. The location, which has been endorsed by City council, will be on Shepherd Road between Dougall and Asher Roads (the Shepherd Road extension), as shown on the attached map.
Although the intention had been to construct a facility to accommodate a regional Rapidbus service and a number of local transit routes, , BC Transit has determined that the Rapidbus service should remain on Highway 97 to optimize transit access to significant destinations along this corridor (e.g., UBCO, Orchard Park, and Landmark Square).
The Subject Area will be served by a network of four regular transit routes that will provide direct connections to UBCO, Orchard Park, Black Mountain, and local community destinations. The revised transit service concept will nevertheless provide a high level of transit service to, and support Transit-Oriented Development within the Subject Area.
Detail design of the bus exchange is proceeding in order to meet the construction timeline for 2011. The design is expected to include a generous amount of streetscape improvements to the Shepherd Road extension to enhance it as a public space, as well as make it a convenient and safe facility for transit users. Wide sidewalks with bus shelters and pedestrian-scaled lighting, as well as landscaped boulevards with trees and street furniture, are anticipated improvements. The City will keep the community updated on the design of the bus exchange as it moves forward.
Staff felt that it was important to understand how the bus exchange could help shape a Transit-Oriented Development and how it could contribute to a system of public spaces that would lend identity to the Town Centre and as such, help stimulate investment.
As a result of these initiatives, the market assessment and construction of the bus exchange, the City felt that a follow-up urban design exercise was necessary to fully assess the challenges and opportunities presented.
Day 1
- outline of workshop goals and objectives
- background information from City staff
- walkabout of Study Area
- identification of opportunities and constraints
- initiation of design ideas
- formulation of evaluation criteria
Day 2
- development of design concepts
- team design scenario presentations
- discussion of design scenarios
- evaluation of design scenarios by stakeholders
Design Outcomes
The result of the exercise is three urban design plans (see below). The designs are conceptual in that they represent outcomes that might be achievable within approximately a 20-year timeframe.
Additionally, although the City’s direction is to locate the bus exchange on the Shepherd Road extension, it is appropriate to consider how the bus exchange might complement a dynamic urban centre that includes a diverse range of public spaces and land uses. In this regard, alternative locations for the bus exchange over the longer term could be viable and design teams were encouraged to explore alternative locations that would support private investment in the Town Centre.
The highlights of each team’s concept are outlined below.
Team 1 Concept
1. The development of Roxby parking lot as a community focal point;
Living in Kelowna is to live outdoors. Following on this observation, a centrally located outdoor civic space that brings people together to enjoy and celebrate Kelowna's great landscape and climate is the key organizing element of the scheme.
In addition to locating the bus exchange on Roxby Road, immediately adjacent to the Orchard, emphasis would be on establishing an immediate/short-term plan for the site including basic infrastructure (shelter, washrooms, etc.) as well as programmed events. Over the longer term, the site would receive more permanent upgrades to establish it as the heart of the community.
2. Better connectivity within the Subject Area;
- Shepherd Rd. would connect from Dougall Rd through to Rutland Rd;
- Roxby Rd would be extended from Shepherd Rd to Macintosh Rd (pedestrian access only) and to Gray Rd (pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles)
- Provision of upgrades to Highway 33, such as wider sidewalks, benches, and trees and other vegetation
3. Redevelopment of Centennial Park and Mara Lumber properties;
In Team 1’s concept, these privately-owned properties would be redeveloped to higher densities. Each site would see a mix of commercial and residential occupancies as well as include some amount of outdoor recreational space for public use. They would act as anchor sites at either end of Shepherd Road which would then function as a major east/west pedestrian/bicyclist corridor within the Town Centre. Buildings on the Mara Lumber site would stay low to not obstruct views to the west and north from the escarpment along Froelich Road.
4. Low- to medium-density, infill development directed into the south-east corner of the Study Area;
A critical component for revitalization of the Town Centre will be a higher residential density. This increased density is envisioned to create a neighbourhood that will take ownership of the streets and public spaces as well as support the local businesses that will serve that population.
Additionally, Team 1’s recommendation is to encourage the majority of the redevelopment to occur in the southeast corner of the Subject Area. A line drawn from the northeast corner of Rutland Centennial Park (at the corner of Rutland and McIntosh Roads) across to the southwest corner of the Mara Lumber site bisects the Subject into two distinctive precincts. The latter precinct is less-well developed (the buildings in light gray are built; the buildings in dark gray are new; note the light/dark grey ratio from one side to the other). By directing new investment into this precinct, there would be less disruption to the existing residents.
Team 2 Concept 
1. Organization of the Subject Area as a variety of precincts.
a) a cultural precinct as the heart of the Subject Area;
A recommendation of the Uptown Rutland Market Assessment was that a CARES facility, i.e., facilities that incorporate activities related to Community, Cultural, Arts, Recreation, Retail, Education, and/or Sports) would be a major asset to the Subject Area.
Team 2’s scheme capitalizes on this idea by proposing a civic precinct that could, over time, see a number of culture-related facilities constructed within its boundaries (the purple buildings in the concept plan are CARES facilities; the purple building not within the cultural precinct is the existing Centennial Hall). These facilities could include a public market with indoor and outdoor display space, an arts centre possibly including a theater and museum and flexible-use space, an art promenade, and a performance park.
The cultural precinct would be set within a grouping of public spaces centred on the escarpment and its long-range views to the west. The arching form generated by the curve of the escarpment and reinforced by the form of the buildings along its southern and eastern edges would form a distinctive and memorable Town Centre focus;
b) a recreational precinct concentrated at the intersection of Highway 33 and Rutland Road as a critical mass of outdoor recreation retailers to capture the traffic to Big White;
c) an institutional precinct located between Aurora Crescent and the escarpment and facing Highway 33 (the current Mara Lumber property), as an employment generator;
d) a retail/shopping precinct centred on Dougall Road between Highway 33 and Shepherd Road;
This section of Dougall Road would be the main shopping promenade and would form a “retail loop” with Asher Rd.
e) a residential precinct located north of Shepherd Road.
Team 2 envisioned a mix of low- to medium-density housing in this precinct (the sites coloured in yellow are proposed for infill residential). The coach house and cottage commons were put forth as possible examples of appropriate housing forms.
2. A stronger pedestrian network;
Emphasis would be on making the Subject Area more walkable. In addition to the extension of Shepherd Road between Dougall and Asher Roads, Asher Road would be extended from Highway 33 to Gray Road. The concept also introduces four pedestrian-only connections; between a) Dougall and Asher Roads, b) Dougall and Roxby Roads, c) Froelich Road and Aurora Crescent and d) Roxby Road between Highway 33 and Gray Road. Within this network, an array of neighbourhood parks would be provided.
3. Changes to the Highway corridor;
Bringing the buildings to the property line along Highway 33 would create a more defined edge, giving the Highway corridor an urban character where it abuts the commercial core of the community. Buildings along these edges would have retail and/or office uses at grade with residential suites on the floors above street level. As well, Highway 33 would be enhanced visually with rows of trees, high quality paving materials, and the planting of the medians.
4. A flexible transit exchange location;
In the immediate-term, the bus exchange would go on Shepherd Road. In the longer-term, it could be located on Roxby or Dougall Roads as the Subject Area develops.
5. Infill development of the Plaza 33 and Willow Park Mall sites;
This would be a longer-term proposition with these sites transitioning to higher-density, mixed-use forms, i.e., retail and office uses at street level with residential suites above, within a more pedestrian-oriented setting.
Team 3 Concept
1. The Green Spine and Village Square as the key organizing elements;
These civic spaces would spatially organize the Subject Area and be places where a range of events and activities could happen. The Spine would be a primary axis through the Subject Area linking Rutland Road on the east side, with the linear park along the escarpment at Froelich Road. It would be a 30 m corridor flanked by low- to mid-density residential buildings.
2. Changes to the Highway corridor;
By bringing buildings to the property lines and providing a more pedestrian-friendly setting on either side of the roadway, the Highway would be a less threatening experience for pedestrians. Mixed-use buildings, i.e., a combination of commercial and residential occupancies, would be appropriate, particularly buildings that orient the residential spaces away from the Highway (photo example).
Residential towers at the east and west ends of the Highway corridor (“gateway buildings”) would mark the entrances to the Subject Area.
3. A mix of sensitively-scale housing types and densities, e.g., courtyard rowhousing;
4. Improved connectivity for pedestrians and bicyclists through a finer grain of streets;
The Green Spine and the extension of Shepherd Road from Asher Road to Dougall Road would be important components of this network. Other components would be a) the extension of Shepherd Road to Rutland Road, b) the extension of Roxby Road to MacIntosh Road, c) the Froelich Rd. pathway, and d) a pedestrian connection between Froelich Road and Aurora Crescent.
5. Pedestrian-scaled infill development including redevelopment of Centennial Park, Willow Park Mall and Plaza 33 Mall sites;
The redevelopment of these sites to higher, mixed-use densities would be in keeping with the aim of creating a more pedestrian-scaled Town Centre.
6. Transit exchange located along the edges of the Village Square.
Common Elements
All of the teams supported the following elements in their concepts:
- A network of civic spaces including a defined, centrally-located space that could accommodate a range of events and activities;
- A more defined commercial core. All teams recommended that the Highway corridor in particular be enhanced as an urban space, with more considerations for pedestrian scale. However, all of them, to one degree or another, recommended improved definition of all the edges of the Study Area as a means to enhance its identity as a “place”;
- More pedestrian/bicyclist connections and a finer grain of streets;
- Infill development over the long-term, including redevelopment of the larger sites, i.e., Willow Park Mall, Plaza 33, and Rutland Centennial Park;
- The integration of the bus exchange into the streetscape. Each team envisioned the bus exchange as a component of a system of public spaces as opposed to a stand-alone facility.
Team Evaluations
On Day 1 of the exercise, stakeholder representatives formulated evaluation criteria that would be used to assess the design outcomes. Those criteria are listed below. The results of the voting are also listed below.
Evaluation Criteria
- Plausible/implementable – the concept must be realistic, i.e., have a reasonable degree of being implemented;
- Good urban form – the concept must envision attractive civic space and otherwise adhere to the principles of good urban design;
- Safety – the concept must create a vision for a safer public realm;
- Identity – the concept must contribute to a greater sense of identity for the Study Area;
- Sustainability – the concept must promote social, economic, and environmental sustainability;
- Resident impact – the concept must take into consideration the impacts on existing and future residents within the Study Area.
Voting Results
1st Place: Team 1
2nd Place: Team 3
3rd Place: Team 2
For more information, contact:
Patrick McCormick
Planner Specialist
Phone: 250 469-8605
Email: pmccormick@kelowna.ca