WATCH: Whispers of caution as rezoning approved for another downtown highrise

As Kelowna continues to approve new towers at a rapid rate, one lawmaker has cautioned council about remaining vigilant on approvals so there are no regrets about the scale of development in the years to come.

Coun. Mohini Singh is okay with another tower soaring into the sky downtown but wants to make sure council can live with its decisions.

“We are changing,” she told lawmakers. “But I want to make sure that our change … we will never go back and question how we approved so many. … We just have to be more cautious.”

Her comments came as city council debated the rezoning application for a chunk of land on the corner of St. Paul Street and Doyle Avenue. The application was approved and will likely pave way for a 35-floor mixed-use tower. The building currently houses a restaurant and several offices.

“Once we approve them, we can’t unapprove them,” she said. “I need to know within our plan where we are at. But this particular project is appropriate given what’s coming downtown.”

The proposed project falls inline with the Official Community Plan and support goals the city has to get more people and mixed-used buildings downtown.

Others around the table spoke in favour of the development, which should house 341 residential units, according to planning documents. The 35-storey building will sit atop a five-floor parkade podium, making it on one of the tallest towers in Kelowna.

Fifty-six micro-suites, 56 studio apartments, 111 one-bedroom, and 118 two-bedroom apartments are detailed in the designs.

Documents show plans for a public plaza on the corner of Doyle and St. Paul. It will be designed to relate to the future UBCO campus that will sit directly north of the project.

The lobby will be located off Doyle Avenue and have a social "bike lounge" for cyclists. The building amenities will include a landscaped terrace and pool on the podium roof for residents, a private co-working or business centre, plus a gym and yoga studio.

Coun. Loyal Wooldridge supported the land use but did want to signal to the applicant that the public is demanding more from new builds.

“When we look at the final slides there, having places for people and enhancing the public realm, these are the types of things I think are really important to remain cognitive of as we move to the development permit stage,” he said, reserving more comments on that topic. “I know that is the conversation in the public today: how is this going to enhance the public realm for everybody, not just the folks living in the building.”

Coun. Brad Sieben was eager to see a relocation plan for the existing tenants, noting it has been a critical building for the city’s tech sector. However, he said the development “makes sense for the height and best use.

“It is a change that speaks to how our urban centre has changed,” he added.

The development and variance permit will come before council at a later date for a nod of approval.