Towers will be ‘jewel-like’ presence next to UBCO downtown campus

One of two new towers set to go up beside the downtown University of British Columbia Okanagan (UBCO) campus will act as a "jewel-like centerpiece" to the structure.

That's according to documents submitted to city hall by Kelowna-based Mission Group, which outline plans for a 17-storey office tower and 30-floor combined condo and long-term rental residential tower. The buildings will occupy the northern portion of the site at 550 Doyle Ave.

UBCO submitted plans for an ambitious 34-storey tower in late December. It will include a medical clinic, café, and 24 floors of student housing. It will take up a third of the land the school jointly bought with the private developer.

“The project is conceived as a truly mixed-use, live, work, play and shop development, combined with the rare contribution of learning and studying with the UBC component,” according to planning documents. “This comprehensive mix of uses contributes to the emerging and expanding downtown area, with opportunities to do all the above only with a modest reliance on vehicular transportation to achieve other more distant objectives.”

The towers will house 287 residential units and 122,459 sq/ft of commercial office space. They’ll be constructed over a shared underground and above grade parkade podium, with 461 parking stalls.

Residential and retail access will front St. Paul Street. A feature restaurant for both developments is anticipated on the podium rooftop under the office building, “inviting the street up to the podium roof with its wonderful water views to the west.”

Architecturally, the project attempts to create a hierarchy of building forms, with the UBCO tower taking centre stage. The residential building is intended to play more of a background role and is set back from the street, accordingly.

The office building is intended to present a central “jewel-like centerpiece” at the heart of the arrangement, according to documents.