A central public plaza, a distinct cultural character area and a pedestrian spine connecting Cawston to Queensway are just three of the big ideas generated at the first workshop to gather community input on a plan for the Civic Block area of downtown.
Thirty-two people participated in the four-hour workshop, representing the interests of the arts and culture, government services, economic development, and social and recreation sectors as well as the community-at-large.
Together with a team of urban design consultants, they worked on a set of design principles and generated a broad list of ideas to guide development of the plan.
“One of the strongest themes to emerge from the workshop and stakeholder sessions is an interest in bringing in uses that would increase activity and vibrancy in the area outside of business hours,” said Ross Soward, planning specialist with the City of Kelowna.
“The information gathered at this first workshop is now with the urban design consultants. They will prepare two concepts that will be reviewed and refined with participants at a second workshop planned for June 24.
“Following this workshop, there will be opportunities for the public to provide input before a preferred plan is shared with city council in the fall.”
Members of the community can learn more about the outcome of the workshop by reading the Workshop No. 1 Community Report and watching the summary video, both available at www.kelowna.ca/mydowntown.
