Kelowna city council will decide Tuesday if the first high-rise on the city’s main downtown street can rise to 26 storeys instead of the currently allowable 19 stories.
A variance for the Brooklyn, at the corner of Bernard Avenue and St. Paul Street—the site of the former Bargain Store—is being sought by developer The Mission Group.
The site has been rezoned for the building, and the height variance is the last planning hurdle the project needs to cross.
According to the city’s planning department, the unique design of the building’s top three floors would be a positive contribution to the city’s skyline. It is supporting the height variance request.
“The city’s main design objective is to avoid towers that appear ‘chopped off’, have flat roofs and do not have adequate articulation,” staff said in a report to go to council Tuesday night.
“The Brooklyn does this well by providing a rooftop area designed for common amenity space and a landscaped roof. This will increase the functionality and visual interest of the top of the tower when viewing it from street level and provide more livable outdoor space to the residents of the building,” the report said.
Related: Kelowna’s old Bargain Shop site takes on new life
At the council meeting, the public will have an opportunity to comment on the height variance request.
The Brooklyn is proposed to have 178 residential suites in a tower that will sit on a four-storey podium base.
If approved, the building would be the fifth tallest in the city after the two One Water Street towers, Skye at Waterscapes and the Landmark 6 building.
Westcorp’s planned 33-story hotel at the food of Queensway would surpass the 36-story One Water Street tower in total height. But the fate of the hotel is unknown as Westcorp re-evaluates the project in light of the province’s planned speculation tax, as it would contain a number of residential units as well as the hotel.
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