Lowe's bullish on Kelowna

Photo: Contributed - City of Kelowna

UPDATE JUNE 29, 3 P.M. -

Kelowna city council unanimously endorsed an application for a development permit by home improvement giant Lowe's.

The proposal calls for a 122,000 square foot retail store and garden centre on what was the old Western Star site.

In order to accommodate the new store the current 400,000 square foot building will be torn down.

The building housed Western Star's truck manufacturing plant until 2002 when the operation relocated to Portland, OR.

While the plant has been gone for more than a decade Mayor Colin Basran called the imminent demise of the building as 'the end of an era.'

Coun. Tracy Gray added she is happy to see this proposal come forward.

"As we know it's been vacant a long time. We are going to be employing a lot of people," said Gray.

"I really appreciate the  care and attention they have put into the landscaping and cycle paths and other aspects of the design element. I'm just really happy to see this project come forward."

Retail giant Lowe's hopes to muscle its way into the Okanagan.

The U.S. owned home improvement chain will, if approved by city council, move into the former Western Star property on Enterprise Way.

Council will be asked Monday to approve a development permit for the site, subject to several conditions.

Lowe's has more than 1,700 stores in the United States and currently operates 38 across Canada in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario.

Recently, the chain purchased the lease of 13 closed Target stores in Canada.

The proposed Kelowna site currently includes a warehouse and light industrial rental space. It is expected the building would be demolished and a new facility constructed in its place.

The proposed store would cover 107,000 square feet, with an associated 15,000-square-foot garden centre.

It would also include parking for 351 vehicles, 85 Class 1 spaces and two bicycle parking spaces.

According to the report council will review, the property owners plan to subdivide the property and develop vacant land south of the new building once the project is complete.

Due to the size of the proposed store and its close proximity to Highway 97, approval will also need to come from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.

A traffic study has concluded no additional highway works will be required, but light timing may need to be adjusted.

Council will not be able to consider the traffic study as part of Monday's development permit debate. However, if the application is approved, the study would then be forwarded to the ministry for final approval.