Kelowna council defer development application, asks applicant to do better

Photo: Contributed

A 20-unit apartment planned for Lakeshore Road is on pause until the developer makes improvements to some aspects of the design.

Kelowna council gave final reading to rezoning of property at 3593 Lakeshore Road but chose to defer issuance of a development permit due to concerns over the look of the project, specifically the east facing side.

"What I am hearing is they don't really want to be good neighbours," said Coun. Maxine DeHart after learning planning staff had numerous discussions with the applicant through the process for areas staff were not overly happy with.

"I think when we do density in neighbourhoods you have to be a good neighbour."

DeHart described the east facing wall as looking like a "hospital wall."

"When I look at the layout on the east, north and south it looks very sparse to me," said Coun. Luke Stack, while complimenting the look of the building that faces Lakeshore Road.

"There is very little articulation, especially on the east side that faces neighbours behind them. To me, it's bare minimum, it doesn't really have anything going for it."

Stack says he would have liked to see the same response to concerns addressed on the west facing side on the entire building.

"If we are putting density into an area that hasn't had density then I think it is incumbent on the development team to be sensitive to at least making it attractive to those who are going to be looking at it," added Stack.

Had council rejected the application altogether, the developer would have had to wait six months in order to bring back a similar design application.

Instead, Stack offered up a deferral motion to give the applicant a chance to work with staff to come up with a better design around the entire building.

Photo: Contributed

East side