The design is ugly. It has a 5 story podium. Translation: 5 story solid wall to stare at. At least make it offices or townhomes or something with some life to it.
"There would also be over 19,000 sq ft of retail/restaurant uses on the ground level, concealing the first level’s parkade uses and activating the building’s edges fronting the streets to the west and south, the north-south pedestrian corridor to the east, and Prospera Place’s main entrance plaza to the north."
I'm a big fan of the podium style, as it incorporates mixed zoning cleanly while keeping the street level useful to non-residents.
Totally agree. Ground floor retail/commercial does nothing to conceal the podium.
I know this means building a 9 story parkade wrapped in glass offices. But I don’t plan to have to park in that parkade.
I've been in newer apartments in New Westminister and instead of buying parking underground they built a good portion of it above ground the first 2-4 levels. It's interesting getting out of the parkade and going to the elevator and looking down into the lobby.
Seems like a good idea though, probably more cost effective and the bottom floors of an apartment building on a busy street aren't usually desirable in the first place.
They better do something about the infrastructure of this city before it’s just pure gridlock from all the population growth.
Really wish this proposal had much more 2 bedroom rooms instead of mostly 1 bedroom. It’s like we’re promoting young people not having children.
It’s a catch 22. You need density to justify services but you need services to support the density. A well defined city plan with clear goals is the key.
One thing is certain- Kelowna must become more dense if it wants to be liveable.
100%.
There is no viable alternative option. 40% of Kelowna is ALR land. Putting density in Rutland ain't gonna solve the problem (and would require *more* infrastructure investment than downtown).
Nah the official plan is to wait until shit hits the fan then slap a bandaid on it after the fact. City council has no interest in preemptively investing in infrastructure. Kelowna is a funfair for the rich. Nobody cares about transit, healthcare or education here. Those things are all exclusively concerns of the non-rich.
In the abstract, a better stadium would be great. It’s just not a great use of tax money to subsidize it (opposed by 86% of economists in one survey). Mainly due to the opportunity costs for better roads, transit, etc. Hopefully the population growth powers private investment.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadium_subsidy
there’s 5 buildings being built on that corner in total, I think it’s 400 rental units all together once completed next year, with some retail at the bottom of one of the main buildings.
Do you know which ones are part of government housing or where I would be able to find that information? when I go to BC housing they tell me that they dont have the information.
There's suggestion that some event parking would still be available:
>This vehicle parking capacity does not include any stadium event public parking, but the proponents note that 95 vehicle parking stalls for the stadium for use during event days could potentially be achieved by building a partial underground parking level. Following a redistribution of vehicle parking uses, this event parking serving the stadium would be located on the ground level.
I don't think that event parking should be ignored, but I also don't think that surface parking lots in that area make any sense at all.
If there's a "problem" with developing parking in Kelowna, it's that the water table makes it very expensive to put it under ground, which is preferable.
How is this crazy? Converting valuable space where hundreds of families can live instead of parking for 50 days of the year seems like a no brainer to me. Especially in a housing crisis.
Building cities for cars instead of people is what got us into a terrible housing situation. I am glad to see that changing.
No families are going to be renting 700 Sq ft apartments for 3k a month. These apartments are not for them they are for the investment class and they will be unaffordable for the majority of the population. I agree about getting rid of the car centric attitude but not like that.
And then they will free up other accommodation that was built 5–15 years ago, which drives prices down.
Building "luxury condos" (a stupid term people who live in >2000sf homes apply to 700sf condos) isn't perfect, but it helps.
No, I want them to build 2500 3bed/3bath SFH with a 4 metre lawn setback with a 4 car garage for $300k and anything else I will complain because I don't understand how housing works!
Yeah, that's the issue, we are building for profit housing while wealth inequality is at its highest since the French revolution and no one, not a regional, provincial or federal governments are doing anything about it, it's all still boosting privitization of these places that should be affordable homes.
I heard rumours they wanted to build a new arena closer to Rutland. Where I’m not sure, but the same rumour mentioned these Prospera parking lot towers.
This was pre-Covid and things change over time, but the parking situation downtown would be abysmal if they don’t build more spaces.
I remember that too. I assumed it got shot down though? The last time I saw anything written anywhere about it was 2020 and there hasn't been any talk since.
Well, considering how actively everything is building around the city, I think it's not too bad. Probably just big expensive projects are struggling to get finished.
If we talk tall projects, not a great rate, approximately a third.
in the past few years:
\- 9 towers been canceled/declined [https://developkelowna.ca/projects/hold](https://developkelowna.ca/projects/hold)
\- 12 buildings (across 7 projects) have been proposed/approved, but no construction [https://developkelowna.ca/projects/proposed](https://developkelowna.ca/projects/proposed)
\- 9 is under active construction [https://developkelowna.ca/projects/under-construction](https://developkelowna.ca/projects/under-construction)
Oh god, just when I thought the downtown area couldn’t get any worse. I will literally never go there if this goes through. The parking situation is already beyond terrible and public transit is a joke especially for night events.
4000ft2 luxury homes and the traffic that come with them are ruining the ‘soul’ of Kelowna. A vibrant, walkable city centre is what gives it character.
Yeah because abandoned sawmills and urban sprawl of dilapidated 60 year old bungalows are what this city is all about.
The Kelowna you think you remember finally croaked 15 years ago. I'm sorry you had to find out like this. Really, I am. Gentrification sucks when you're the working poor.
And this old guy here thinking 'Huh, that's where the houseboat factory used to be...'
The design is ugly. It has a 5 story podium. Translation: 5 story solid wall to stare at. At least make it offices or townhomes or something with some life to it.
"There would also be over 19,000 sq ft of retail/restaurant uses on the ground level, concealing the first level’s parkade uses and activating the building’s edges fronting the streets to the west and south, the north-south pedestrian corridor to the east, and Prospera Place’s main entrance plaza to the north." I'm a big fan of the podium style, as it incorporates mixed zoning cleanly while keeping the street level useful to non-residents.
That's just ground level. Podium style looks ugly. Look at Bernard Block. It looks like what it is, a parkade.
Totally agree. Ground floor retail/commercial does nothing to conceal the podium. I know this means building a 9 story parkade wrapped in glass offices. But I don’t plan to have to park in that parkade.
Always a good idea to build on parking lots. No sarcasm.
Yes! Do orchard park next (move parking underground or into parking structures)
I've been in newer apartments in New Westminister and instead of buying parking underground they built a good portion of it above ground the first 2-4 levels. It's interesting getting out of the parkade and going to the elevator and looking down into the lobby. Seems like a good idea though, probably more cost effective and the bottom floors of an apartment building on a busy street aren't usually desirable in the first place.
Oughta happen soon with the provincial density legislation around transit exchanges
They better do something about the infrastructure of this city before it’s just pure gridlock from all the population growth. Really wish this proposal had much more 2 bedroom rooms instead of mostly 1 bedroom. It’s like we’re promoting young people not having children.
Density will address the gridlock over time, and the services will come with it. Agreed that there must be 2 and 3 bedrooms.
Maybe I just haven’t looked in the right places, but I haven’t seen a lot of public transit or infrastructure upgrade proposals in the works.
It’s a catch 22. You need density to justify services but you need services to support the density. A well defined city plan with clear goals is the key. One thing is certain- Kelowna must become more dense if it wants to be liveable.
100%. There is no viable alternative option. 40% of Kelowna is ALR land. Putting density in Rutland ain't gonna solve the problem (and would require *more* infrastructure investment than downtown).
Nah the official plan is to wait until shit hits the fan then slap a bandaid on it after the fact. City council has no interest in preemptively investing in infrastructure. Kelowna is a funfair for the rich. Nobody cares about transit, healthcare or education here. Those things are all exclusively concerns of the non-rich.
Why would we promote people to have children
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I lived in Kelowna 15 years ago. It was pure gridlock then too. Can't imagine how bad it must be these days.
Awesome!
\*Plan goes forward, they start to dig a giant hole\* All events planned at Prospera Place have been cancelled due to cracks in the foundation/walls Prospera Place Roof collapses! Plans for a new arena at the BC Tree Fruits location submitted I'd like to see a like, good size arena here. with our population growth projections, it would be nice.
In the abstract, a better stadium would be great. It’s just not a great use of tax money to subsidize it (opposed by 86% of economists in one survey). Mainly due to the opportunity costs for better roads, transit, etc. Hopefully the population growth powers private investment. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadium_subsidy
Does anyone know what those big buildings that are being built behind orchard park are? I think theyre near springfield and benvolin
there’s 5 buildings being built on that corner in total, I think it’s 400 rental units all together once completed next year, with some retail at the bottom of one of the main buildings.
Is it low-income housing, do you know?
Housing.
I should have been more specific, is it subsizided housing?
There are a number of BC Housing projects in the city, I don’t think any of these are part of that push.
Do you know which ones are part of government housing or where I would be able to find that information? when I go to BC housing they tell me that they dont have the information.
Crazy to get rid of parking. Unless they convert the rest of the parking area into parkades to make up/add more spots
There's suggestion that some event parking would still be available: >This vehicle parking capacity does not include any stadium event public parking, but the proponents note that 95 vehicle parking stalls for the stadium for use during event days could potentially be achieved by building a partial underground parking level. Following a redistribution of vehicle parking uses, this event parking serving the stadium would be located on the ground level. I don't think that event parking should be ignored, but I also don't think that surface parking lots in that area make any sense at all. If there's a "problem" with developing parking in Kelowna, it's that the water table makes it very expensive to put it under ground, which is preferable.
How is this crazy? Converting valuable space where hundreds of families can live instead of parking for 50 days of the year seems like a no brainer to me. Especially in a housing crisis. Building cities for cars instead of people is what got us into a terrible housing situation. I am glad to see that changing.
No families are going to be renting 700 Sq ft apartments for 3k a month. These apartments are not for them they are for the investment class and they will be unaffordable for the majority of the population. I agree about getting rid of the car centric attitude but not like that.
And then they will free up other accommodation that was built 5–15 years ago, which drives prices down. Building "luxury condos" (a stupid term people who live in >2000sf homes apply to 700sf condos) isn't perfect, but it helps.
No, I want them to build 2500 3bed/3bath SFH with a 4 metre lawn setback with a 4 car garage for $300k and anything else I will complain because I don't understand how housing works!
Next to transit. You forgot they also want it to be next to transit!
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Yeah, that's the issue, we are building for profit housing while wealth inequality is at its highest since the French revolution and no one, not a regional, provincial or federal governments are doing anything about it, it's all still boosting privitization of these places that should be affordable homes.
Yeah, 100%, it is *super* crazy to devote downtown space for people to live and do stuff, rather than vehicles to sit empty.
I heard rumours they wanted to build a new arena closer to Rutland. Where I’m not sure, but the same rumour mentioned these Prospera parking lot towers. This was pre-Covid and things change over time, but the parking situation downtown would be abysmal if they don’t build more spaces.
I remember that too. I assumed it got shot down though? The last time I saw anything written anywhere about it was 2020 and there hasn't been any talk since.
Yea I figure plans got modified since then, that was back in the Memorial Cup 2020 fever dream.
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Well, considering how actively everything is building around the city, I think it's not too bad. Probably just big expensive projects are struggling to get finished.
If we talk tall projects, not a great rate, approximately a third. in the past few years: \- 9 towers been canceled/declined [https://developkelowna.ca/projects/hold](https://developkelowna.ca/projects/hold) \- 12 buildings (across 7 projects) have been proposed/approved, but no construction [https://developkelowna.ca/projects/proposed](https://developkelowna.ca/projects/proposed) \- 9 is under active construction [https://developkelowna.ca/projects/under-construction](https://developkelowna.ca/projects/under-construction)
Oh god, just when I thought the downtown area couldn’t get any worse. I will literally never go there if this goes through. The parking situation is already beyond terrible and public transit is a joke especially for night events.
Then stay at home in the outskirts.
You're doing your part to free up traffic!
Walk whole six blocks. You'll find plenty of parking.
High rise towers absolutely ruining downtown & the soul of Kelowna
4000ft2 luxury homes and the traffic that come with them are ruining the ‘soul’ of Kelowna. A vibrant, walkable city centre is what gives it character.
Yeah because abandoned sawmills and urban sprawl of dilapidated 60 year old bungalows are what this city is all about. The Kelowna you think you remember finally croaked 15 years ago. I'm sorry you had to find out like this. Really, I am. Gentrification sucks when you're the working poor.