Kelowna Construction

[Twindragon]

I’ve always thought Regina had a great skyline for the size of the city. I grew up in Saskatchewan and it was the first skyline I saw as a kid. I think the last high rise around 20 stories went up in 2014 and I guess there has been a few buildings around 10 stories that have gone up in the 2000s. I’m just glad kelowna is getting multiple buildings over 20 stories and even 30 stories. Keep them coming and In 10 years kelowna might surpass Reginas skyline.

[240glt]

Originally Posted by Phil McAvity

^Exactly

It's astounding
My whining actually started with the Kiwanis Tower in 1976 and then reached a crescendo with Landmark VI in 2012 which demonstrated that Kelownians have never had any idea how to manage urban growth but you're talking about design panels/committees, not zoning laws because zoning laws simply designate which buildings can go where in a city whereas design panels/committees decide on the aesthetics of buildings and i've never bitched about the quality of the buildingsin Kelowna, only their location, which zoning laws cover. What does EDC stand for?

So are the 3 buildings that are soon wrapping up all going to be downtown?

Kiwanis Village was purpose built as seniors housing. There is zero reason that the preferable location for that building would be in the downtown core. In fact for that use I’d say the buildings location is preferable to downtown for a variety of reasons.

No one is saying that Kelowna’s planning has been ideal, but the city is not a typical city like Saskatoon or Regina. Most people would agree that Kelowna is a far nicer place to live than both of those prairie cities, so obviously a city’s skyline is not a significant factor in a city’s desirability

[Twindragon]

Yea, kelowna is so much better. Probably one of the most desirable places to live in Canada or North America. Obviously skylines don’t determine wether a city is desirable. We are on a forum dedicated to skyscrapers though lol. If this upward trend continues in kelowna we might see a great skyline fairly soon. Think about the fact that in 2018 alone we’ve had 6 High rises approved. Some of them approved in late 2017. Who knows, 2019 could get a few more as well. Maybe a proposal for the old capital news building or maybe we will see proposals for the properties that were bought on Leon where the habitat is. I can also see those 2 buildings that were proposed for the prospera parking lot go before city council with improved parking and maybe get approved this year.

[GSS]

Originally Posted by 240glt

Kiwanis Village was purpose built as seniors housing. There is zero reason that the preferable location for that building would be in the downtown core. In fact for that use I’d say the buildings location is preferable to downtown for a variety of reasons.

No one is saying that Kelowna’s planning has been ideal, but the city is not a typical city like Saskatoon or Regina. Most people would agree that Kelowna is a far nicer place to live than both of those prairie cities, so obviously a city’s skyline is not a significant factor in a city’s desirability

There are a lot of factors that make a city desirable, and the skyline is just one of many factors...for people who like skylines. It's not what makes a city desirable for me necessarily. I have never lived in Kelowna, but like it as a place to visit. It's a great place in the summer and has lots of upsides, but what makes a city a 'far nicer to live' is also subjective. I haven't lived in Regina or Saskatoon either, but I know people who have moved to Kelowna from Winnipeg, Sasaktoon and Edmonton and have since moved back for varying reasons which I won't get into in order to avoid needless debate. We can all agree Kelowna's a nice place, but having a lake and mountains nearby doesn't automatically make a city a 'far nicer place' to live.

[240glt]

We can all agree Kelowna's a nice place, but having a lake and mountains nearby doesn't automatically make a city a 'far nicer place' to live.

You're right it's subjective, but I doubt the vast majority of people think a city is desirable due to its skyline.

I'd wager that if you were to ask what the top factors people consider that make a place a nice place to live you'd get answers like climate, crime, economy and recreation.

[jimmyboy95]

Kelowna needs to think more of the big picture instead of just millionaires and tourism. It is the hub city of BC Southern Interior. And its growing rapidly. Kelowna needs to have more productive things going on, more industry, etc. Also, a freeway and second bridge.

Sometimes I feel Kamloops is better suited to be a large city and Kelowna should have remained a smaller town.

[uzi]

I moved to Ottawa in june 2018, I drove from Kelowna to Ottawa and stopped in Regina. Regina definitely has a better looking skyline than Kelowna, its like more organized than Kelowna's skyline.

[DKaz]

It takes 10-15 minutes to walk from the official downtown core to the Arts & Entertainment District. It's not officially downtown but it's close enough, similar to Yaletown.

I'm also excited about the transformation at Landmark District over the next decade.

[Sheener]

If you want to complain about prior decisions and what could have been, start a new thread. Kelowna is heading in the right direction by increasing density downtown and creating nodal “centres” ie. Pandosy, Capri, Rutland, which are necessary for a city with ALR land constrictions. VAST majority of new high density projections are going up in or near the downtown core.

Absolutely no way to compare Kelowna with cities like Regina. Kelowna was built on agriculture and tourism, it still has a higher proportion of retirement communities and is located in a province where both the economic and government hubs are located in different cities (Van, Vic.). Regina is a capital, it is also a corporate hub for the province. If you want to compare apples to apples how about a similar lakeside, tourism based city like Barrie. In 2-3 years time we won’t be having this debate so just sit back and enjoy the new projects.

[Metro-One]

Kelowna does have a decently diverse economy, hence the recent proposal for a 25 story office tower. It also has a robust agricultural industry that also includes manufacturing.

People who think it is just a tourist trap akin to Osoyoos don’t really known Kelowna.

As for the second bridg and freeway, yes, Kelowna wants that. They have made that very clear for a long while. Sadly, it is the province (and to some extent the Feds) who make such projects happen. So it is best to pressure them if you want to see these happen.

[csbvan]

Yes, Kelowna's economy is changing and diversifying with tech being a large part of the shift (hence the new Innovation Centre). UBCO is a large catalyst for that change, it has seen impressive investment (UBC doesn't play in the little leagues) and is embarking on a new Innovation Precinct that should be a boon to Kelowna business. Also, Kelowna's infrastructural advantage over Kamloops is its airport, and airports play a large role in fostering business growth.

[jimmyboy95]

Yes Kelowna has a larger airport, but Kamloops has 2 major railways running through town. Kelowna's rail connection was removed for a stupid walking path. Not a good move. Kelowna is the largest city in Canada, and possibly North America, to not have a railway. Is that something to be proud of?

[csbvan]

Originally Posted by jimmyboy95

Yes Kelowna has a larger airport, but Kamloops has 2 major railways running through town. Kelowna's rail connection was removed for a stupid walking path. Not a good move. Kelowna is the largest city in Canada, and possibly North America, to not have a railway. Is that something to be proud of?

I would consider a larger and better connected airport to be more of an advantage in attracting business in the 21st century.

[zoomer]

Victoria doesn’t have an active railroad.

Here’s a list from Wikipedia of American cities with no inter-city rail service - there are over 50 that are larger than Kelowna, including Las Vegas, Columbus, Nashville and Tulsa. It seems for a lot of those cities Amtrack has a bus service to bring passengers in. In Western Canada passenger rail doesn’t matter anymore, at least not with the current infrastructure.

[KelownaResident]

The railway was removed because it wasn't cost effective for CN to service it just for the Tolko lumber mill downtown. It's actually kind of nice to not have to wait for the occasional train going through by the Spall area. Unfortunately that is offset by the increased traffic from a greater number of trucks required to haul the lumber.

[240glt]

Originally Posted by KelownaResident

The railway was removed because it wasn't cost effective for CN to service it just for the Tolko lumber mill downtown. It's actually kind of nice to not have to wait for the occasional train going through by the Spall area. Unfortunately that is offset by the increased traffic from a greater number of trucks required to haul the lumber.

We walked a good portion of the rail trail from Kal Beach out towards Kekuli Bay while in Vernon over the holidays, what a great amenity. It was very busy even in the cold weather. I'd love to bike it in the summer.

[csbvan]

Originally Posted by 240glt

We walked a good portion of the rail trail from Kal Beach out towards Kekuli Bay while in Vernon over the holidays, what a great amenity. It was very busy even in the cold weather. I'd love to bike it in the summer.

I walked a good portion of it when I was visiting last summer. It really is a great amenity, like an extra-long seawall for the Okanagan. Between it and the KVR trail, the Okanagan is building a great trail network.

[mountainman]

I have a couple of quick update photos, not the best picture but better than nothing.. I have been busy recently but hope to get out more at the weekends to take some pictures of all the ongoing projects.


Another floor being poured at Ella today, the car parking floors are complete now possibly?


Taken from the North End of Ellis St. This will be a nice vantage point to see some progress in the coming months.
Cranes visible from right to left:
First two at One Water Street
Third crane is at Ellis Park
Tower crane at the left is at Ella

[Phrescata]

Thanks for the great pictures! I always seem to forget about the Beverly.

Is Urbana the last building at Central Green, it is there going to be one more?

[mountainman]

Originally Posted by Phrescata

Thanks for the great pictures! I always seem to forget about the Beverly.

Is Urbana the last building at Central Green, it is there going to be one more?

There is another similar building under construction on the Rowcliffe Ave end of the site. Its at a similar construction stage I believe. There may be one more I am not sure.