Kelowna Construction

[DKaz]

Originally Posted by flipper316

With all this development how come Kelowna has basically no transit. They really need an LRT or rapid bus.

I always thought a good starter LRT line would be Okanagan College to Sopa Square to Hospital District to Downtown. Second expansion down Harvey Ave to Landmark/Parkinson Rec, third expansion up to North Glenmore, then fourth expansion to UBC and maybe YLW.

I did up a rough outline on Google My Maps, including a reconfigured 97 to go to Rutland instead of UBC once the LRT goes to UBC. I chose Glenmore because of the fairly medium density development on that linear route and the road is wide enough for a dedicated LRT ROW. Between North Glenmore and UBC, I thought using Curtis Road would be a better solution but there may be roadblocks that stopped cyclists years ago from using the same road to get to UBC.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1vH...Bk&usp=sharing

[csbvan]

Does any destination in Kelowna rival UBCO for ridership?

[YYCguys]

Originally Posted by DKaz

I always thought a good starter LRT line would be Okanagan College to Sopa Square to Hospital District to Downtown. Second expansion down Harvey Ave to Landmark/Parkinson Rec, third expansion up to North Glenmore, then fourth expansion to UBC and maybe YLW.

I did up a rough outline on Google My Maps, including a reconfigured 97 to go to Rutland instead of UBC once the LRT goes to UBC. I chose Glenmore because of the fairly medium density development on that linear route and the road is wide enough for a dedicated LRT ROW. Between North Glenmore and UBC, I thought using Curtis Road would be a better solution but there may be roadblocks that stopped cyclists years ago from using the same road to get to UBC.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1vH...Bk&usp=sharing

I can’t get your link to work. I do get directed to google maps but your insertions don’t appear.

[240glt]

I think Kelowna is probably a ways off of supporting an LRT line at this point. It’d be nice to have but I don’t know if you could justify the cost. I’d run it straight down Harvey from the university to downtown

[vicdevelopments]

I also wish Victoria had an LRT line. There’s talk about it every now and then but it never materializes into anything. It’s nice that Kelowna is developing tall buildings It’s exciting to see.

[jimmyboy95]

Originally Posted by DKaz

Between North Glenmore and UBC, I thought using Curtis Road would be a better solution but there may be roadblocks that stopped cyclists years ago from using the same road to get to UBC.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1vH...Bk&usp=sharing

There was a big controversy about that a few years ago. The land owners at the end of Curtis Road all share a private access road that spurs off the public road. Its part of some land agreement from 100+ years ago. UBCO staff and students were using it as a shortcut, and no doubt they did, its a direct and safe route. They were considered trespassers and the land owners eventually put a stop to it. This is the reason the new John Hindle Drive was built so far out of the way, cause a corridor via Curtis Road is not possible. The only time this new road is faster than Sexsmith is if there is a traffic jam at Sexsmith/97. Otherwise its pretty much the same time, but a few kilometers longer.

[240glt]

Originally Posted by jimmyboy95

There was a big controversy about that a few years ago. The land owners at the end of Curtis Road all share a private access road that spurs off the public road. Its part of some land agreement from 100+ years ago. UBCO staff and students were using it as a shortcut, and no doubt they did, its a direct and safe route. They were considered trespassers and the land owners eventually put a stop to it. This is the reason the new John Hindle Drive was built so far out of the way, cause a corridor via Curtis Road is not possible. The only time this new road is faster than Sexsmith is if there is a traffic jam at Sexsmith/97. Otherwise its pretty much the same time, but a few kilometers longer.

Pretty sure that's how I used to get there back in the mid '90s. It was a bit of an odd route but put you right at UBCO and you could avoid going up Harvey. It was a better drive for us living downtown on Ethel to go that way via Glenmore

[SFUVancouver]

I now take Glenmore and John Hindle when I drive to UBCO. It may not be faster than Sexsmith but it's more pleasant in my opinion. For whatever reason, I always seem to have an impatient person behind me when I take Sexsmith who just cannot accept that I'm driving the speed limit or a touch above. Tailgating, passive aggressive speeding up and slowing down, etc., just a pain in the ass. Doesn't happen anywhere else, but there's something about Sexsmith that makes people lose their minds.

[Glacier]

Originally Posted by SFUVancouver

I now take Glenmore and John Hindle when I drive to UBCO. It may not be faster than Sexsmith but it's more pleasant in my opinion. For whatever reason, I always seem to have an impatient person behind me when I take Sexsmith who just cannot accept that I'm driving the speed limit or a touch above. Tailgating, passive aggressive speeding up and slowing down, etc., just a pain in the ass. Doesn't happen anywhere else, but there's something about Sexsmith that makes people lose their minds.

I live in Vernon and often work down south of Kelowna. I have timed all three ways (highway 97, 97/John Hindle/Glenmore, and Glenmore), and during the daytime hours (ie, every time I travel it for work), the highway is the SLOWEST of the three!

[Chadillaccc]

Another batch of future Kelowna Skylines, missing the 100-meter and 40-meter towers of the Bernard Development...





https://infotel.ca/newsitem/in-photo...kyline/it54938


And a 20-year future projection of Kelowna...


https://infotel.ca/newsitem/in-photo...kyline/it54938

[KelownaResident]

Looks promising but I wouldn't count on Westcorp, Prospera, Civic, Monaco, Daily Courier yet. These have been very silent for at least the last few months and some maybe years.

[svlt]

The 20+ year projection is really impressive - do the locals think it's realistic at all, or is 20 closer to 40?

[240glt]

^ I don't think that it's realistic. Maybe 50 or 100 years down the road...

I have my doubts still about Westcorp's ability to execute that hotel project.

[Twindragon]

Yeah, it won't be that dense in 20 years. but if things keep going the way they are going I can see it still being pretty decent.

As for the westcorp hotel They are currently building the presentation center and I think its going to be finished this spring so I have hope that they will start building at the end of the year. I am pretty sure westcorp wants to finally get something going.

as for the prospera buildings the GSL group went back to the drawing board to include more parking per the city of kelownas request. We will probably be seeing a new development application this year sometime. That location was always going to be developed. That is my favorite application in all of the applications for kelowna. That would be the perfect entertainment hub.

[DKaz]

I won't lie, the 20 year projection makes me a little sad. It's too uniform.

Originally Posted by YYCguys

I can’t get your link to work. I do get directed to google maps but your insertions don’t appear.

I'll post this dirty sketch instead.

Red = LRT, it could run as a rapid bus to start.
Green = revised West Kelowna to Rutland rapid bus, with a peak hour spur to UBCO and a peak hour extension to Black Mountain.
Blue = Local service streetcar from Parkinson to Prospera Place via Bernard and either Ellis or Water.

I'd say over 50,000 people live along the LRT route I've proposed, then you have major employment/learning centres OC, KGH, downtown, Landmark, and UBCO all connected.

[KelownaResident]

I haven't seen any indication of work happening for the presentation center for the Westcorp Hotel, and I walk by the BMO (supposed site for the presentation center) multiple times a week.

[uzi]

Brooklyn has officialy started construction.

[KelownaResident]

Originally Posted by KelownaResident

I haven't seen any indication of work happening for the presentation center for the Westcorp Hotel, and I walk by the BMO (supposed site for the presentation center) multiple times a week.

I take my statement back. It now looks like the fencing is boarded out with black stuff. It does look like they are doing work on the inside. Maybe the Downtown hotel will actually become a reality soon!

[Pejamu]

I wonder what affect this will have on mid rises in Kelowna:https://www.kelownanow.com/watercool...reys/#fs_72148

[Phil McAvity]

Originally Posted by svlt

The 20+ year projection is really impressive - do the locals think it's realistic at all, or is 20 closer to 40?

20 years is risible, I think even 50 years is unlikely although I wouldn't be surprised to see Kelowna's population triple in the next half century