UBC Okanagan is ready to establish a presence in downtown Kelowna.
The school and the City of Kelowna have teamed up today to announce plans for a mixed-use development with academic space, office space and rental housing for universities.
It is located at 550 Doyle Ave., the location of the former Daily Courier building, which means a rededication and architectural planning will take place over the next few months.
“Since we were founded in 2005, we have grown from 3,000 students to over 11,000 today. We expect our community to evolve and reach a population of over 20,000 by 2040, ”said Deborah Buszard, UBCO Deputy Vice Chancellor.
“With that kind of expanded presence for the years to come, it only makes sense to create an academic space in the heart of Kelowna with a community in mind.”
Buszard mentioned the location’s proximity to many of the school’s community partners who work in health, technology, business, and the arts as major positive aspects.
These include Interior Health, the Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society, YMCA, Accelerate Okanagan, and others.
The plans are yet to be finalized and approved, but are expected to include nearly 100,000 square feet of academic space.
This investment by UBC is part of an agreement with the city that the city will acquire 67 hectares of the university’s agricultural land west of the campus.
The $ 7.4 million purchase will come from the city’s landfill reserve fund and general reserve for land purchase loans.
“The acquisition of these properties will provide an improved buffer zone around the landfill and will contribute to the long-term sustainability of this important regional asset,” said Basran.
He added that this also “creates an opportunity for UBC to establish itself in the city center, a goal that we have worked towards since UBCO was founded”.
According to Buszard, the next step is for the UBCO faculty and its staff to work with partners such as the city and indigenous communities, as well as the public, to determine what the new space will look like and what needs it will serve.
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