Kelowna Construction

[Emtee]

So the Monaco was rejected unanimously.

Monaco proposal rejected by council


By Ron Seymour
WEDNESDAY, 04 APRIL 2012
The Daily Courier

Plans for two new highrises in downtown Kelowna have been unanimously rejected by city council.
The developer's request for seven variances represented too substantial a departure from the recently-adopted downtown plan, councillors said, and approval could set a precedent for builders of future projects to request similar exemptions.
"If we say yes to this, how do we say no to anything?" Mayor Walter Gray said as a lengthy council meeting concluded just after midnight Tuesday.
The Monaco project would have seen diamond-shaped towers of 22- and 26 storeys built at the northwest corner of Doyle Avenue and St. Paul Street.
"It's just really difficult to imagine two towers of this shape on that site," Coun. Robert Hobson said.
"It is too big for the site," agreed Coun. Mohini Singh.
The separation between the two towers, as well as the project's setback from the nearby Madison building, would have been within the 100 feet required under the downtown plan.
That departure was cited by Coun. Luke Stack as being key for his voting against the Monaco proposal.
"In essence, it would be like a stake through the heart of the downtown plan before we even give it a chance to succeed," Stack said.
Coun. Gerry Zimmermann said the public wants some sense that the terms of the downtown plan will be enforced by council. "A lot of time and effort went into this plan to put it together," Zimmermann said.
Several councillors expressed the hope the developer would return with plans for a single highrise on the subject property. Keith Funk,spokesmen for the developer, declined to comment after the meeting.

http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca/fr...y-council.html

Mass not height sinks Monaco
by Wayne Moore - Story: 73396
Apr 4, 2012 / 5:00 am

Kelowna City Council unanimously, but reluctantly, said no to the controversial Monaco development project.


Council was also unanimous that height variances for the two towers was not an issue. The issue instead was the fact the towers would be separated by just 9.29 metres as opposed to the required 30 metres for buildings over 22 metres in height.

Developers of the Monaco, proposed for the corner of Doyle Avenue and St. Paul Street, were asking for seven separate variances on the project.

Tuesday's decision came after nearly five hours of debate, questions and public input before about 100 interested spectators in Council Chambers.

One by one, councillors agreed it was an ambitious development that would be of benefit to the city and the downtown.

"Including the comments that it's very difficult to not support the project for a lot of very good reasons, this has been clearly the most creative project I've seen in the city, let alone downtown Kelowna, " says Mayor Walter Gray.

They indicated the height of the towers, 22 and 26 storeys was not an issue.

"I have a huge concern with the nine metres between two towers. Towers of that size on a lot of this size seems just too much to me," says Councillor Gail Given.

"They will be perceived as one large mass."

Others also pointed to the newly adopted Downtown Plan which was trumpeted by many of those in attendance who addressed council during the evening.

"The thing I think that influenced me the most was people who spoke about the Downtown Plan. A lot of time and effort went into this plan -- to put it together," says Councillor Gerry Zimmermann.

"I think we all understand variances are needed and we're going to have to live with that. It's the number of variances and how it goes against the basic concept of the Downtown Plan. I think we owe something to the public that put a lot of time into this plan and I think the public needs some sense that there will be some general compliance to it."

Twenty-four people spoke at Tuesday's meeting, 14 of those opposed the project while 10 spoke in favour.

It was also revealed Tuesday that 105 letters and a 196 name on-line petition were handed into City Hall opposing the project while 81 letters and a 1,072 name petition supported the Monaco.

Those in favour spoke of the beauty of the development, of the need for attainable housing in the downtown area, the need for more shoppers downtown and the need to get on with developing the downtown area.

Those against the project spoke of the height, space between the buildings and the close proximity to the adjacent Madison building.

Most of those in favour were either business people in the downtown area or from the younger demographic, something not lost on the mayor.

"As a developer they have clearly said it's 250 units -- we have to appeal to everybody that wants to live and work downtown," says Gray.

When we go through the letters and the people we heard tonight -- if you really break it down -- the biggest area of support was young people, which ironically is the market this developer was trying to capture in their project."

Keith Funk with New Town Planning and Architecture, who spoke on behalf of Premier Pacific, indicated 41 per cent of the units would be priced for couples or individuals making the median wage in Kelowna of $53,000 a year.

He says the price point at the Monaco is much more affordable for the average person that the adjacent Madison.

"We can also add a whole lot more personal amenities. We have a fitness centre, running track, swimming pool and sauna. We can actually improve the quality of life for people living here," Funk told council.

"And, we can do it roughly at the same price you could buy a condo for in Rutland."

Funk says Premier Pacific would be able to build the Monaco 30 to 40 per cent cheaper than other complexes, allowing for a more affordable price point.

"The real driver for the certainty of this is the fact that without using that market as an engine to pay for building this building and if we were just to rely on wealthy or better off people then we would have a very small market," says Funk.

"We would be taking a very big risk and therefore we would be in a lot of trouble."

In the end, council hoped the developers would re-think their proposal and come back with a single tower concept, something Funk indicated would be a much harder sell on the market.

Funk refused to speak with the media following council's decision.

http://www.castanet.net/edition/news...6-1-.htm#73396

[Metro-One]

Well that is a huge loss for Kelowna Guess we won't be seeing any new towers downtown for a while then.

[GORDBO]

That is unfortunate. hope it doesn't deter other developers from bringing proposals to city council.

[DLLB]

What a bunch of backward thinking idiots.

[GORDBO]

Originally Posted by dllb

what a bunch of backward thinking idiots.

you got that straight!!!!!!!!!

[Ogopogo Fan]

A new airport hotel in Kelowna - from: http://www.castanet.net/edition/news...6-1-.htm#74076

Construction on a brand new hotel near Kelowna International Airport (YLW) , is well underway.

Argus Properties of Kelowna and Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide unveiled plans to introduce a new 120 room Four Points Sheraton hotel off Highway 97N and Airport Way, on Wednesday.

Kelowna-Lake Country MP Ron Canon, Kelowna Mayor Walter Gray, and a several city councillors were in attendance for the announcement.

The new hotel will open with 120 guest rooms and suites in the spring of 2013. The Four Points by Sheraton has allowed for an additional 100 rooms to be built in a future second phase. Construction will provide 170,000 hours of work and the new hotel will employ 65 people full time.

Brian McGuiness, Starwood Senior Vice President, says Starwood is happy to provide a new hotel option for Kelowna.

"At Four Points, we offer a compelling blend of comfort, style and affordability, plus the award winning Starwood Preferred Guest Program."

Ted Callahan, President and CEO of Argus Properties says the Four Point by Sheraton will be a great addition to business and tourism travels going through YLW.

"Our hotel is in a perfect location to take care of airport travellers and will provide another social or business choice for nearby residents of Quail Ridge and UBC Okanagan."

There are 161 Four Points by Sheraton hotels in 27 countries.

[Chadillaccc]

Wow that's actually great. Love to see commercial developments coming outside of the core.

[Chadillaccc]

New pics of the progress on Landmark VI?

Bet it's looking great.


and has anyone heard anything yet about the redesign of Monaco?

[Ogopogo Fan]

work started on this addition to the Streaming Cafe located at Bertram/Leon. Good for the neighbourhood...



from: http://streamingcafe.blogspot.ca/

[KevD]

^^^Love this. I knew this was coming for a long time now since one of my best buds knows the owner of the streaming cafe. I'm especially excited for this for two reasons. One, it's in my neighbourhood. Two, my band has played their a couple times as part of the CBC and the space is just sooo tiny. It will be REALLY nice to have a much larger space to play and drink coffee and just hang.

[Emtee]

Too bad about the Lucaya project.

Development an eyesore and nuisance
by Wayne Moore - Story: 74888
May 8, 2012 / 10:45 am

It was a development that barely got off the ground -- literally.

Now, after three years of inactivity, the City of Kelowna is giving Lucaya Redux Corp. owners of a development property on Sunset Drive 30 days to remove a construction crane and properly secure the site.

The company had proposed to construct a 21 storey, 86 unit condominium tower on the property. In June, 2008, a development permit was issued and by October of that year construction ground to a halt after the developer was unable to secure additional financing.

Preparation and pouring concrete for the foundation, underground parkade and the first floor were underway when construction stopped.

There has been no activity on the site since, however, a construction crane has remained on the site.

Director of Corporate Services, Rob Mayne, says design of the crane is such that it 'moves like a weather vane' when the winds kick up. This causes the crane to become an overhang to adjacent properties across the street.

"Birds have also caused the crane to become a nuisance because the excrement commonly drops on the neighbouring properties. Several of those properties have outdoor patios," says Mayne.

There are also concerns about the amount of illegal activity on the property.

"Skateboarders and transients frequent the site creating quite a nuisance. We have had numerous calls of service from police, fire and bylaw to address the issue."

In October of last year fire crews were called in to douse a small fire in the underground parking lot.

Fire officials indicated someone had been living there and their belongs went up in flames.

"We are looking to improve the security by erecting a more protective fence and providing more frequent patrols on the property," says Mayne.

"The Community Charter grants the city the authority to take remedial action to address the declared nuisances. We are suggesting the crane and the unsecured property are creating public nuisances."

The Calgary based owners have 30 days to take action or the city will do the work themselves.

One sticking point is the appearance of two Osprey who Mayne believes are nesting on the top of the crane.

If that's the case, they won't be able to remove the entire crane until October, however, he says they may be able to remove about 15 metres of the crane without affecting the counterweight balance.

Mayne adds that communication with the property owner has dried up over the past several months. Attempts to contact the owner through registered letters, phone calls and emails have been ignored.

http://www.castanet.net/edition/news...8-1-.htm#74888

[Metro-One]

What bull shit, sounds like a sleazy owner to me! Feel bad for Kelowna. They really need to strengthen their economy and stop the single housing sprawl in the hills / farmland.

But then again, their idiot council did shoot down the Manaco proposal.

[DLLB]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

What bull shit, sounds like a sleazy owner to me! Feel bad for Kelowna. They really need to strengthen their economy and stop the single housing sprawl in the hills / farmland.

But then again, their idiot council did shoot down the Manaco proposal.

Amen to that!

[Ogopogo Fan]

I can't find the article online, but the front page of yesterday's newspaper advised the developers of the Monaco have prepared a revised proposal which slims the towers marginally such that the space between the towers has increased by four metres. I didn't get a chance to read the whole thing, so I am unsure as to the overall impact on the dimensions of the towers.

[Emtee]

Here is the article regarding the new Monaco proposal:

Controversial Monaco high rise project re-imagined



MONDAY, 25 JUNE 2012 02:00 J.P. SQUIRE

If at first you don't succeed...
Plans for twin highrises at Doyle and St. Paul streets downtown are still alive, said Tyler Dueck, marketing vice-president for Premier Pacific Group.
"We're still here. We still want to be in Kelowna. We see a lot of value in building this and getting this done as soon as possible," Dueck told The Daily Courier on Wednesday as he unveiled sketches showing 22- and 26-storey towers - further apart and with less building mass than a previous proposal rejected by city council.
The footprint of the project is the same at 26 by 26 metres, he said, but the towers are now 13 metres apart instead of nine metres.
"We changed the south tower quite a bit to fit within the footprint that the city asked for. That obviously helped with the massing and also the separation between the towers," he said.
"We also tried to incorporate a little bit of the design from both our north tower and the properties around there, like the Madison, and tried to create a nice dimensional look between the Madison, our smaller south tower and our larger north tower so there is a complimentary view in that area."
On April 3, city councillors unanimously voted against granting seven variances requested by the Abbotsford-based company for the $70-million Monaco project. Several councillors invited Premier to submit revised plans with only one highrise.

At the time, Dueck said the variances for building width and setbacks from existing properties were necessary to achieve greater efficiency in the Monaco's design, thus lowering construction costs and reducing the selling price of the suites.
The intent was to make more than 40 per cent of the 250 suites in the Monaco affordable for individuals or couples earning $53,000. Dueck's goal is to still sell suites with just under 600 square feet for the mid-$200,000 range.
Under the city's recently adopted downtown plan, towers are supposed to be separated by a distance of at least 32 metres (100 feet). The current zoning of the property allows for buildings of up to 12 storeys. Councillors felt the design was too substantial a departure from the downtown plan, and that approval could set a precedent for builders of future projects to request similar exemptions.
In their comments, several councillors supported the Monaco developer's intention to help populate the downtown with hundreds of people with average incomes, but went along with city staff's position that the building's design was simply too bulky.
"I think we might have to change some things but we're hoping that they understand we still have to make some money. I think we're pretty close on the numbers," said Dueck on Wednesday.
"The more and more I speak with city officials, they want to make sure this thing happens. Everybody wants a quality development; they're just looking at it from a different perspective."
He's optimistic the new plans could go to council "in the next couple months." Detailed drawings would follow, then 18-24 months for construction.
"I think the message it sends to other developers is that Kelowna is playing a long game," Mayor Walter Gray told a meeting of the Kelowna Real Estate Investors after the April 3 decision.
"We have an official community plan and a downtown plan. While they are guides, they are not Bibles. We can and will consider variances and projects could very well go ahead with several variances."

[RHINO]

Looks like the city may have a second chance after all.

[Chadillaccc]

Would be great if the slimmer versions are approved, would add an amazing element to the skyline.

does anyone have an recent pics of the construction of Landmark VI?

[DLLB]

I hope they don't screw it up this time!

[Ogopogo Fan]

Condo tower may still rise on skyline Friday, 13 July 2012 02:00 Steve MacNaull
GARY NYLANDER/The Daily Courier

The 1.4-acre Lucaya highrise site on Sunset Drive has

finally been sold out of receivership to a B.C. numbered company for the ‘bargain' price of $3.8 million
A tower could yet rise from the Lucaya site on Sunset Drive. The 1.4 acre property, across the road from Prospera Place, has sat abandoned since 2008, but has now been sold to a mysterious B.C. numbered company for $3.8 million.

"I think there is still a plan to build a condominium tower, maybe a little shorter than the original 21-storey proposal and probably with more units," said realtor Eric Drouin of Coldwell Banker, whcih handled the deal.

"After all, the foundation is already poured."

Construction abruptly stopped in 2008 when financing ran out after a massive concrete pour put in the underground parking, foundation and first floor.

Since then the plot, complete with crane and controversial nesting ospreys a top it, has been an eyesore of overgrown weeds.

Drouin declined to give details of the B.C. numbered company, saying he didn't have permission to release it.

However, there is speculation that while the company is Vancouver-based, it is owned by an Asian group that plans to pre-sell condos to Asian clients meeting immigration

criteria.

The previous owners were a general partnership from Calgary, called Lucaya Redux Corp., which originally planned a 93-unit luxury tower, with condos priced from $489,000 to $1.9 million.

Apparently, the $2.8-million penthouse at one point was pre-sold to a Calgary businessman.

With the recession arriving shortly after the foundation and underground parking was poured in 2008, work on the project stalled.

Lucaya Redux Corp. was forced into receivership earlier this year, with Kelowna-based Mission Creek Mortgage, a

division of Paradigm Mortgage, as the receiver.

Murray Wills from DTZ Barnicke Kelowna was the listing realtor both for Lucaya Redux and later the receiver.

Lucaya Redux had the property, which it originally paid $5 million for, up for sale for $5.5 million.

There were two interested buyers, but both opportunities fell through.

The receiver listed the site for sale for $4.2 million and eventually took the $3.8 million from the B.C. numbered company in a court-approved sale.

"Personally, I think the buyers got a good deal, especially if they can use the existing infrastructure (underground parking and foundation)," said Wills.

"In the end, a property is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it.

"Because this was a court-ordered sale it is not really an indication of the market heating up or anything. Basically, it's cleaning up a mess and moving forward. The real benefit will be when construction starts again and the economy is positively affected that way with materials being bought and people working."

By the way, the crane on the property can't be moved until the end of November because osprey have built a nest on it.

That matter came before city council recently, with people upset in neighbouring condos that bird poop was falling on their patios and balconies.

http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca/lo...ine-71312.html

[Ogopogo Fan]

(Kelowna, BC July 7, 2012) Lucaya, the luxury high-rise condo development which failed to get off the ground in 2008, has recently been sold to a Vancouver based company represented by Kelowna Realtor Eric Drouin. The court approved sale of 1151 Sunset Drive was made final on Wednesday June 27, 2012.

Most recently the Lucaya project was the subject of debate when the city of Kelowna ruled to keep the crane in place until November 30, 2012 because of a pair of nesting Osprey. It's unclear now whether the crane will come down on or near that date since the new owners are anxious to begin construction.

Details of the final project have not yet been disclosed, but we do know it will be a high-rise condo tower up to 21 stories tall. Once construction begins it's likely Kelowna residents will rejoice at the site of progress after 4 years of sitting dormant.

The sale of this property signifies the Kelowna real estate market is indeed picking up. As sales numbers break 3 year highs according to OMREB statistics, seeing a development like this go up in the heart of Kelowna will surely breathe some new life into the city.

By Eric Drouin.
Eric a licensed Kelowna Realtor® who loves Real Estate. Passionate about all things investment and real estate, Eric is dedicated to putting his skills to the test and impressing each and every client.

Follow Eric on Twitter @KTown_Eric or Call him direct (250) 864-3742

http://ktowneric.com/blog/kelowna-hi...nt-lucaya-sold