Image: Collabor8 Architecture and Design
The new owners of downtown Kelowna’s Towne Centre Mall have unveiled their vision for a major redevelopment at the shopping centre.
Colliers International is now advertising retail space for lease in “The District on Bernard,” which will be the mall’s new moniker.
Concept art of the redevelopment shows a new facade fronting Bernard Avenue, featuring what looks like wooden adornment covering the building, and large columns jutting into the air.
Further decorative changes look to be slated for the interior, however it appears the floor plan will remain the same. Colliers has yet to respond to requests for more information on the development.
The design scope of the redevelopment will be taken on by Collabor8 Architecture and Design, a firm based out of Vancouver and Calgary.
Image: Collabor8 Architecture and Design
According to Colliers’ marketing material, the design concept for The District “will be derived by local elements shaping a modern atmosphere.”
It will feature a “fresh mix” of retailers, restaurants and services “looking to be a part of the future of Kelowna.”
In February, an undisclosed buyer scooped up the mall for $8,550,000. That’s about $1 million more than BC Assessment said the building was worth in 2016.
At the time of the sale, Perry Freeman of Colliers said the new owners were looking to improve the space.
Those improvements will come as the area around the mall changes dramatically over the next several years.
Construction is set to begin on a major residential highrise on nearby Ellis Street, and a significant development property across Bernard Avenue recently sold, with an eye to a mixed-use commercial and retail development.
One of the Towne Centre Mall’s anchor tenants, Molly’s Garden Cafe, will also move out early next year. According to staff, Molly’s will move to a new location on Bernard Avenue once its lease expires.
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