Kelowna moves forward with $242-million recreation centre

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Photo: City of Kelowna Photo: City of Kelowna Photo: City of Kelowna Photo: City of Kelowna Photo: City of Kelowna Photo: City of Kelowna Photo: City of Kelowna Photo: City of Kelowna Photo: City of Kelowna

Describing the project as one that may well become a “legacy” of the current city council, Kelowna councillors moved the $242.3 million plan to build a new Parkinson Recreation Centre in the city a major step closer to construction Monday by approving a development permit for the project.

The move means construction can begin in the next month or two, according to city staff, with a goal of having it up and running by 2027.

Following a unanimous council vote to approve the form and character development permit, Mayor Tom Dyas called the project “one of the biggest investments the city will see,” and a "legacy that will last for years to come.

In a statement issued by the city following Monday’s vote, Dyas elaborated, calling the new Parkinson Recreation Centre the “most ambitious and transformative facility in Kelowna’s history, designed to meet the needs of a growing, active, and diverse population.”

When complete in two years, the new Parkinson Recreation Centre complex—to be built on land now used for playing fields at the north end of the existing PRC site near the Apple Bowl—will offer five times more athletic space, 2.5 times more aquatic space and three times the program capacity of the existing recreation centre building.

The new two-storey building will include a triple gymnasium, running track, fitness area and studios, an aquatic facility, multi-purpose rooms, a community teaching kitchen, a branch of the Okanagan Regional Library and a child care centre.

The site around the new building will also be transformed—including the land the existing PRC building sits on. The site will also be home to five natural turf playing fields, 24 outdoor pickleball courts, four outdoor tennis courts, a sports box and an Indigenous-themed cultural gathering place/plaza. There will be three parking lots, providing space for 725 vehicles.

While the main vehicle access will be off Burtch Road, there will be secondary access road points from Spall Road, Parkinson Way and Harvey Avenue.

“For more than a decade, this redevelopment has been identified as a critical need,” said Dyas. “With the development permit now approved, city council and city staff are moving this exciting project forward.”

A formal groundbreaking is expected this spring, with additional permit approvals to follow in the months ahead.

It was not just the mayor who expressed delight with plans for the city’s new premier recreation centre. Coun. Luke Stack said he was excited to see the project move ahead, while his colleague Coun. Charlie Hodge called it “absolutely fabulous,” Coun. Gord Lovegrove called it a “really beautiful design.”

Coun. Rick Webber had a simple message for city staff: "Let's get 'er built."

Coun. Maxine DeHart said she was happy council members went to visit other recreation centres in the Lower Mainland as the plans for the new PRC were being developed as it helped make sure the planners saw what to do and what not to do with the new building.

“Going there was the most useful and successful thing we ever did,” she said.

The controversial project, opposed by some in the city because of its cost, is part of the Building a Stronger Kelowna initiative, said the mayor.

The initiative is a long-term vision to invest in the city’s future by strengthening recreation, sports and community infrastructure. It includes new all-ages activity centres in the Mission, Glenmore, and Rutland areas of the city.

“Those investments are about creating healthier, more connected neighbourhoods and providing spaces that support the evolving needs of our growing city,” added Dyas.