Image: New Town Services
A Kelowna firm is looking to build a striking new tower in the South Pandosy Urban Centre.
New Town Services says the 15-storey, mixed-use development would be a “Jenga-inspired midrise” that could “define” the South Pandosy neighbourhood.
Plans for the “skinny” tower show a 15-storey building sitting atop a two-storey podium that will house a blend of retail and commercial spaces.
The sides of the building fronting Cedar Avenue and Newsom Lane would hold plazas, cafes and an outdoor galleria, while most of the rest of the tower would be given over to 34 residential units.
In order to make the project possible, the developers are asking the city to rezone the property from urban residential to urban centre commercial.
The C4 zoning the developers are requesting allows for buildings as high as seven storeys, so additional allowances would have to be made to get up to the full 15 storeys requested.
The developers would also need to acquire approximately 7.5 metres of Newsome Lane.
Image: New Town Services
Right now, a few single-family homes sit on the two lots the development would eventually occupy.
In a letter to council, New Town Services says the narrow tower would be less than half the width of the nearby one at Sopa Square, but would stand almost seven metres higher.
“The narrow structure will complement the policy intent for increased density and spatial separation between tall buildings and will help to ‘landmark’ the core area as the hub of the Pandosy Urban Centre,” the letter reads.
“The desire to build a slender, taller structure is preferred over the alternative of a bulky building of half the proposed height and more than twice its girth. A shorter, plumper building would further obscure the skyscape and limit the amount of sunlight penetration.”
Kelowna City Council will have an opportunity to weigh in on the project at an upcoming meeting.
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