A big disappointment

Photo: Meiklejohn Architects Inc.

Is the City of Kelowna getting what it wanted, or thought it was getting, from the Central Green development?

That's a question many on council pondered Monday afternoon while deferring a development permit application for a five-storey, 108-unit rental development along Richter Street.

After years of trying to determine what to do with the site, the city eventually sold the former KSS high school site at the corner of Harvey Avenue and Richter Street to Al Stober Construction Limited in 2014 for $6 million.

A master plan for the site included two 12-storey towers among the mix of rental and for sale developments. With only one additional site to plan, the height, council discovered Monday, isn't coming.

Councillors were clearly disappointed.

"I think the challenge I'm facing is every step along the way on this site, there has been the notion that, it's coming, it's coming. Just do this now, and you'll get it somewhere else. And, what we've discovered, that isn't likely to be the case," said Coun. Brad Sieben.

A representative for the developer confirmed to council adding height to the final parcel fronting Harvey Avenue would be difficult due to geo-technical challenges on the site.

He said they are limited in height from a cost perspective.

The configuration of the building up for discussion has also changed. It was designed in an L-shape, meaning a proposed retail and commercial building at the corner of the highway and Richter was being scrapped.

While council agreed with the rationale of a pedestrian entrance to the site from that corner, opposed to the retail commercial site, it did decide to defer making a decision to give staff a chance to go over the plans and the site again with the developer.

"Do I think we will have a bad site? No, I don't think we will. I think it will be a nice site at the end of the day," said Coun. Gail Given.

"But, it isn't going to be what we thought we were getting.":