Kelowna: Western Canada’s Next Big/Tall City?
I knew Kelowna was growing rapidly but I had no idea just how much. On a recent visit, I was literally gobsmacked by the development happening not only in the City Centre, but everywhere. I was also very impressed by the number and diversity of infill projects recently completed, under construction or in the planning stages.
Indeed, Kelowna is the fastest growing city in Canada according to the latest data from Stats Canada – its current metro population is 222,162, a 14% increase since 2016. At this rate, it could soon surpass Regina and Saskatoon to become the 6th largest city in Western Canada.
Note: An edited version of this blog was published in the Calgary Herald’s New Homes + Condos, July 9, 2022.
In June 2022, a revised concept for UBC Okanagan campus tower at 550 Doyle Avenue was submitted to increase the number of storeys from 35 to 45, reaching a height of 509 ft (155m) to accommodate 503 new homes.
I saw lots of signs like this while flanering in Kelowna.
One Water Street development in Kelowna.
Tall City
In fact, Kelowna’s One Water Street 36-floor residential tower is the tallest building between Calgary and Vancouver. Plans are in place for a 41-storey tower by Kerkhoff Developments that would be part of a downtown Kelowna UBC Okanagan University Hub. But wait there’s more! A 46-storey tower has also been proposed down the street, which would be taller than any residential tower in Calgary. (Yes, TELUS Sky is taller, but it is both an office and residential building).
Not to be outdone, Ledingham McAllister has submitted plans for 130-storeys of residential towers on one downtown Kelowna block, in four towers – 28, 32, 34 and 36-storeys respectively. This would be equivalent in scale to Calgary’s West Village Towers – its three 40+ storey towers.
In addition, the Bernard Block project consists of a 34 and a 25-storey residential towers, plus a 16-storey office tower.
If all these towers get built, Kelowna’s downtown will begin to look at lot like Calgary’s.
There are numerous high-rise construction cranes in Kelowna’s City Centre.
Kelowna vs Calgary Urban Living
Like Calgary’s Olympic Plaza Cultural District, Kelowna’s Cultural District, includes an art gallery, two performing spaces, two museums, a new central library and the lovely Kasugai Gardens. It is home to 21 pieces of public art and offers free guided walking tours on Saturdays in July and August, as well as a self-guided walking tour brochure.
Like most big cities today, Kelowna has its arena/event centre downtown. Prospera Place is 6,886 multi-purpose building that is home of the Kelowna Rockets of the Major Jr A’s Western Hockey League.
Kelowna’s Harvey Avenue (aka Highway 97) a six-lane street feels a lot like Calgary’s Macleod Trail with its hodgepodge of chain stores, small malls, restaurants and car dealerships. This is where you’ll find the Orchard Park Shopping Centre, Kelowna’s equivalent to Calgary’s Chinook Centre.
Plans are in place to convert 4 blocks of downtown’s Bernard Avenue into a pedestrian mall for the summer - with 21 patios, Farmers’ Market and street games like giant chess, checkers and Jenga. Calgary will be experiment this summer with allowing Stephen Avenue Walk to be pedestrians only until 11 pm this summer.
Kelowna has done a great job creating parks and public spaces along its lakefront downtown. Similarly, Calgary has created a River Promenade along the south bank of the Bow River from Shaw Millennium Park to Fort Calgary, as well as three unique island experiences – Prince’s Island (festival), St. Patrick Island (family) and St. George’s Island (zoo).
I was very impressed by the infill developments happening in Kelowna’s Fruit Packing District, just north of downtown. Here, tiny old homes on large lots are being converted into 4 to 6 storey apartment buildings – seemed like there was construction on every other block. I did note one of the projects is for affordable housing, which like most big cities is a huge issue in Kelowna.
Example of new infill development next to downtown.
Fruit Packing District is becoming an urban playground.
Pedestrian friendly urban design in South Pandosy.
South of the downtown I enjoyed exploring Kelowna’s heritage homes along Abbott St. It reminded me of wandering the streets of Calgary’s Roxboro, Mount Royal and Scarboro neighbourhoods.
A little further south, on Pandosy Street, is a streetscape that reminded me of Calgary’s 17th Avenue as it is filled with local boutiques, restaurants, cafes, mixed with various chain stores. It boasts three grocery stores – Urban Fare, Save-On-Foods and Lakeview Market (which opened in 1946, and is still family owned). South Pandosy’s public space is Boyce-Gyro Beach Park, with its iconic Big Red Apple concession – 17th Avenue’s equivalent is Tomkins Park. Pandosy is home to several major new mixed-use developments with retail at street level and several floors of residential above that could easily be mistaken for new infills in Calgary’s Kensington Village, University District, West District, Marda Loop or Bridgeland.
South Pandosy new mixed-use development.
Infill Innovation
What impressed me most was the fact there are low-rise infill apartment blocks everywhere in Kelowna’s suburbs. One I took particular note of was on the edge of an old shopping mall at the corner of Hollywood and Highway 33 in the Rutland District; this is exactly what every city should be doing i.e., converting excess surface parking lots into suburban residential housing.
Reaching out to Ryan Smith, a planner with the City of Kelowna to learn more about Kelowna’s infill history, he informed me that in 2017 the City initiated the “Infill Challenge” by rezoning 800 central city lots for infilling. This has resulted in 99 infill projects to date.
He also shared that in 2001, Kelowna was one of the first cities to allow carriage or lane homes in single family neighbourhoods, which has since resulted in 1,000+ new homes. The City is currently working on “Infill Challenge 2.0,” which will lead to rezoning 1,000+ more sites, as well as create policies to fast-track infill developments.
Kudos to the City of Kelowna for being proactive in managing infill residential development. Too often municipal leaders are reactive when it comes to infilling projects, which then results in NIMBYism and costly delays for the private developer in getting infill approvals, which then increases the cost to the infill home buyer.
Example of infill development next to an old shopping centre in Kelowna suburb.
Numerous old homes on huge lots next to the downtown are being replaced by new infill multi-family buildings.
Some of the new infills are affordable housing like this one that would replace 60+ of the older homes.
Last Word
While many Calgarians (and I expect many Canadians) think of Kelowna as a small resort city for summer tourists and retirees, recent Stats Canada data indicate Kelowna’s growth is due to millennials more than any other age group.
Yes, Kelowna is quickly becoming a big city with all the urban living amenities, and unfortunately also the accompanying problems – including homelessness, drug use and affordable housing. And, the average single-family home price in Kelowna is over one million dollars and $450,000 for a condo.
If you like this blog, you will like these links:
Calgary: Evolution of Infill Housing