Traffic an issue for development

Photo: Contributed - Artist rendering

Kelowna city council wants to see the results of a traffic impact study before it moves a proposed development on Dickson Avenue to public hearing.

Council was unanimous in supporting the need for the 90-unit rental development near the Landmark complex, but was concerned about what such a development would mean to an area already suffering from traffic congestion.

One of the biggest concerns identified by staff is the ability to make a left turn from Dickson south onto Burtch Road, which is already a problem.

A minor traffic assessment of the area commissioned by the developer indicated no concerns about the performance of the Dickson Avenue corridor.

City staff are reviewing that data and will bring those findings to council in the near future.

Council gave first reading to the development Monday but agreed to hold off on selecting a date for the public hearing until council is satisfied with the findings of that report.

Coun. Charlie Hodge calls the area and intersection a nightmare. He wonders how an area so congested can handle traffic from another 90 apartment units.

"It's not just a nightmare from a left turn perspective... but also for anybody trying to turn right," says Hodge.

"If we now add another 90 units and 104 parking spots, I can only begin to imagine what that intersection is going to be like. Some days it's backed up halfway up Dickson and in front of the (Landmark) towers."

Hodge says traffic is not working now, and it's only going to get worse.

"I have some serious, serious concerns with our traffic flow. My thinking is if we don't resolve this for this particular development where are we going to be in another two, three or five years."

Along with traffic, Coun. Mohini Singh also had concerns about parking. which she says was a problem in front of and around a similar development (The MODE) on the north side of Dickson.

"Parking is clogged over there... it's bumper to bumper parking," says Singh.

"We have to be careful how this unfolds. I want to make sure I flag staff otherwise we are going to have another huge parking problem."

While many struggled with parking, Coun. Gail Given and Mayor Colin Basran did not.

Given says she is wholeheartedly supportive and doesn't see traffic as an issue.

"From my perspective, this is about putting housing close to the work environment," says Given.

"We all know the traffic created in the area is from the Landmark project, but I looked at this and said 'awesome, we're putting housing close to the Landmark development.'"

Basran called the area one in transition.

"I think it's a great project in the right area. We have to remember this is an area in transition, this is a city centre," says Basran.

"There are a lot of worlds colliding here. It's not going to be perfect when we plunk down a project like this. There are going to be traffic issues and parking issues."

Basran says he's pleased the area is going to undergo a parking review once the hospital and downtown reviews are complete.

The four-and-a-half storey development being proposed by Al Stober Construction is similar in style to The MODE situated on the north side of Dickson. It calls for 90 units, 44 of which are micro-suites (less than 29 square metres).