Here's where the new Parkinson Rec Centre will go

The new Parkinson Recreation Centre (PRC) will be built abutting the southern part of the Apple Bowl and adjacent to a future school.

Kelowna lawmakers signed off on what is being called a co-located campus model. Putting the future plus-$130 million project closer to existing facilities allows for a multitude of synergies, according to planning documents.

In a presentation to council, architect Stuart Rothnie detailed a high-level overview of the project. He explained how the new location would allow activities at the PRC to go on uninterrupted during construction. By having the new facility near the school, he said it can create more opportunities for shared use. It would also be a boon for allowing programming to expand into the recreation park and take advantage of the natural setting.

The site also has ample opportunity for future expansion, he said. Parking would also be distributed around the site, which would balance traffic pressures on the roads.

Building the new PRC in the middle of the park will require several fields to be realigned, but it will result in them being orientated north south. Some re-irrigation will need to take place, but improvements were already on the books. The tennis courts will also need to be moved and are currently pegged to go to the southern part of the site, near the current PRC.

Concerns about parking have been raised by lawmakers, but those were mostly quelled by plans for an expanded parking lot to the east of the Apple Bowl, and a new surface lot off Burtch Road, south of where a future school will go. When complete, 35 per cent of parking would be within a one-minute walk of the PRC. Over 90 per cent would be within two-and-a-half minutes. Technology to let people know what parking lots are full and where space is available will be considered to limit people driving around the site.

Rothnie said the entrances at Spall and Burtch could also be improved with things like signs and public art. The central location will be widely accessible via pedestrian and bike paths. Plans also include adjacent landscaped areas around the building that could be used for festivals or teams to wait for their event to take place.

“We want to make a heart at the centre of the park,” he said. “We want a place that will inspire the community to meet, connect and be active.”

Many lawmakers were swayed to support this location following a tour of recreation facilities in the Lower Mainland.

“I think today marks a significant step forward for this project,” Mayor Colin Basran said. “I’m really excited to see us move forward with this co-located model. I think … the benefits certainly far outweigh the concerns.”

Everyone around the council table agreed, applauding the thorough work done by city staff to get to this point.

Coun. Mohini Singh and Ryan Donn both admitted a greater confidence in making the decision thanks to the Vancouver excursion.

“You have to see, smell, feel to believe in your own convictions,” Singh said. “I am so glad that we saw what we saw. I vote with a ton of confidence knowing what we are doing is the right thing for our city going forward.”

The estimated construction cost is pegged at over $130 million. It will be the most expensive undertaking in the city's 117-year history if approved.