Photo: S2 Architecture
BC Housing has made public plans for a 20 story affordable rental home in downtown Kelowna.
The property in question at 1451 and 1469 Bertram Street is currently inhabited by a single family home and two- and three-story townhouses.
In its application to the city’s planning department, BC Housing stated that the project was a response to affordable market-based and non-market-based (subsidized) rental housing, accessible housing and day-care centers.
The overall construction plan would include 162 residential units within the 20-story building and 14 units within a separate, attached townhouse building on the north side of the tower with units facing north and west.
The tower would have 17 floors of apartments over a three-story parking platform.
A day care center is also proposed as part of the project.
The project would house three studio apartments, while 74 would be one bedroom, 56 would be two bedrooms and 43 would be three bedrooms. It will also include provisions for wheelchair accessible homes, with 11 percent of the units being wheelchair accessible, twice as much as requested by BC Housing.
BC Housing also suggests setting up plug-ins for electric vehicles, indoor and outdoor bicycle parking spaces and in the suite, as well as a bicycle washing and repair station.
To proceed, the city council must approve a reallocation of the property.
The property is currently zoned for 12 floors or 37 meters, well below the proposed 20 floors and 63 meters high.
“Significant changes are underway in the immediate area, including a 34-story condominium tower planned for the corner of Bernard Avenue and Bertram Street and a 13-story office building planned for the corner of Bernard Street and St. Paul Street “, it says in the application.
“Just to the west, an application was recently filed for a 46-story apartment. Behind that proposal and the facade on St. Paul Street, there is currently a 26-story condominium under construction. Nearby Doyle Avenue is also being used for the future UBCO -Campus planned high-rise. “
Plans have also just been unveiled for a proposed 41-story tower in Doyle and St. Paul.
The plans will be distributed to various city departments for submission before coming to the city council later this year.
The proposal is the first known apartment tower that BC Housing would like to build in the southern interior.
