What’s the future of Prospera Place?

The City of Kelowna is looking for a new partner to run the near-7,000 seater Prospera Place, and to help invest in much-needed improvements.

However, the current owner-operator wants to remain onboard.

The city’s 30-year agreement with real estate, entertainment, and facilities company GSL Group expires in 2029.

Mayor Tom Dyas said the city has decided to “maximize the life of the facility” and will be going to market to explore investment opportunities and options with a new partner.

The arena hosts the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets and has been the go-to place for major rock concerts, trade shows, and big events since it launched the city’s downtown transformation when built in 1999.

However, the facility has been neglected in recent years and it lost a bid to host the Memorial Cup, the top tournament for Canadian Hockey League teams, because of significant deficiencies that needed to be upgraded.

Kelowna10 asked Dyas if a city of Kelowna’s stature should have a state-of-the-art arena.

“I would say yes,” he said. “The value of having a facility of this nature in our community and to using it to its maximum potential will only benefit all of the residents of Kelowna and the Okanagan.”

He could not put a figure on the costs required to upgrade the arena and said a Request For Proposals (RFP) process would help the city work that out.

“Whoever we look at through an RFP process and whoever is engaged with this facility in the future, that’ll be part of the discussions with them,” Dyas explained. “There are upgrades and operational costs that need to be dealt with at this point in time and in the future, so part of our plan going forward will be to build a plan to recover those operational costs.”

Dyas said there is an energy around the facility, and he’s heard the Kelowna Rockets could potentially look at bidding on the 2026 Memorial Cup.

“There are many positive things and we’re looking at the RFP process and seeing who is interested in coming to Kelowna as a potential operator.”

Meanwhile, in a statement to Kelowna10, Graham Lee, President and CEO of GSL Group, said for the past few years the company had continually expressed an interest in a long-term vision for Prospera Place.

He said its proposal to the city, which will be put forward in the coming days, would see the upgrade of seating, dressing rooms, amenities and other audio-video technology.

“While the 30-year agreement we have is clear that the city is responsible for capital repairs and upgrades, we are prepared to contribute to improving Prospera Place for the future,” the statement from Lee said, in part.