Tower switching to rentals

Josh Dawson - Jan 24, 2025 - Biz Releases

Photo: Josh Dawson

Plans have changed for the Kelson Group’s Alyssium tower, which recently started its 20-storey ascent into the Kamloops skyline.

The tower is part of the $200-million, 525-unit City Gardens development that began construction in March 2022. It is under construction at Fourth Avenue and Nicola Street, just west of the 24-storey Trillium tower, which is expected to be complete sometime this year.

The 136-unit Alyssium tower was initially planned to be condos, but Kelson Group president Jason Fawcett said it’s now going to be rentals—and the rest of City Gardens could follow suit.

“The federal government is not charging GST on rental buildings anymore, and that is one of the incentives and one of the reasons why we’ve decided to go that way,” he told Castanet Kamloops.

Other reasons include a property tax exemption from the City of Kamloops and a strong rental market.

“We know that there’s a lot of interest in renting downtown, and we haven’t started advertising this project in particular, but we feel that it’s going to be the premium rental building in the entire city,” he said.

“The Trillium tower may end up being the only condominium building available, which is a bit different from our original plans when we first started construction.”

A number of other projects, including townhomes and a six-storey wood-frame building, are also in the works at City Gardens.

Kamloops-based Kelson Group is a large-scale landlord, operating more than 70 properties in B.C. and Alberta.

Going up

Fawcett said the Alyssium tower could have its third storey poured as soon as today (Friday).

The first and second storeys are planned to be a lobby and common area, while storeys three through 19 will make up 136 apartments in total.

“Once we get to the third floor, the construction progress goes a lot faster because they’re replicating from floor three to 19,” Fawcett said.

The first storey will have a small commercial space, the second storey will include an amenity room and gym, and the tower’s 20th storey will be used for mechanical equipment.

Finishing touches

In the meantime, work is continuing on Alysium’s sister tower, Trillium.

The Trillium tower officially became the city’s tallest building and was capped off at its 24-storey apex last year.

Fawcett said work on the building’s interior has been working floor by floor, following five to six storeys behind the installation of walls, effectively waterproofing the building.

“We’re installing kitchen cabinets, drywall, and we’re up to about the 12th floor at the moment,” he said. “Within a couple months here, we’re going to have it all—windows, walls and everything—buttoned up.”

The tower is expected to finish construction and become occupied by the end of the year, while Alyssium is expected to be completed in late 2026 and occupied shortly after, potentially into early 2027.

“We’re probably two or three months behind our original projections, but in the world of construction we think that’s pretty good,” Fawcett said.

“They’re both going to be unique buildings that are unmatched in the city.”


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