Civic block going up?

Photo: Contributed - City of Kelowna

Should areas of what is known as Kelowna's Civic Block be built up?

That's a question City Hall is posing to residents as staff get ready to make a preliminary presentation to council.

Residents are being asked to look at two options that would add market use to the area.

The Civic Block is an area in transition, stretching from Queensway to Clement avenues and Water to Ellis streets.

Four development projects are either underway or will be shortly, including redevelopment of the library parkade, construction of the Innovation Centre and new Interior Health building. Construction of the new Memorial parkade is expected to begin soon.

The RCMP building on Doyle Avenue will be vacant once the new detachment is ready in a few years, while both Memorial Arena and Kelowna Community Theatre are near the end of their life expectancy.

The current Kelowna Health Centre on Ellis will also be vacated once the new IH building is complete. However, that building is owned by the province.

Residents and stakeholders alike have been asked to offer up their opinions on the two options.

Option 1A includes more single-use options and lower-density developments, while Option 1B includes more mixed-use options and higher-density developments.

Option 1B includes towers on three properties, the community theatre, RCMP detachment and Kelowna Museum site. These towers could range in height from 10 to 13 storeys depending on location, which would surpass heights proposed by the Downtown Plan.

These have come out of a series of public consultations.

"When people understand that there are trade-offs, and being able to fund some of the amenities that are part of this plan ... they understand the financial reality," said policy and planning manager Danielle Noble-Brandt.

Some of the additional amenities being proposed include extending the Art Walk to Queensway, creating a new Civic Plaza at the intersection of Smith Avenue and the Art Walk, amenities to support the Cultural District and some additional streetscaping.

Noble-Brandt said residential towers are one way the city could pay for the proposed amenities.

She did caution the city is looking at a build-out of about 20 years. For instance, any tower on the current museum site likely wouldn't happen until the end of that period.

That could be done in conjunction with a consolidation of all museum properties into one location, possibly the current Memorial Arena site.