Photo: UBCO
Kelowna City Council has expressed its enthusiastic support behind UBC Okanagan’s plan for a downtown campus tower up to 46 stories tall.
If eventually built to that height, it would not only become the tallest building in Kelowna and the tallest between the Lower Mainland and Calgary.
After a public hearing that lasted just over three hours, the council voted 7-1 to approve the creation of a specialized comprehensive planning area, CD28, with only Coun. Charlie Hodge objected.
“I was absolutely thrilled when we found out that the UBC campus was interested in coming downtown. It’s huge for our city and hopefully for UBCO, but I had no idea at the time that it would become a 46-story complex,” said Hodge, who marveled at the building’s appearance.
“I understand that down the road it probably won’t look that weird, it will be part of a developed center with tall buildings all over.
“I don’t see that being far enough back for 46 stories, and I don’t think the timing is right.”
About two dozen people, most opposed to the project, addressed the council during Tuesday’s public hearing.
Many spoke of safety concerns surrounding firefighters being able to properly fight a blaze in a 46-story building. Others talked about the heat island impact on a building of this size and other climate change and environmental issues, while others questioned UBCO’s intentions to use the 500 housing units for students and staff only.
A few who spoke in support suggested the building would be an incredible opportunity for the city to have a world-class university campus downtown and a way to help students experiencing the city’s housing crisis.
UBCO director and vice-chancellor Leslie Cormack said the 500 housing units will help ease the university’s student housing waiting list, which has grown from 500 to 1,300 in the past two years.
Aubrey Kelly, president of the UBC Properties Trust, which is funding the project, told council that unlike other projects of its kind that receive provincial and federal grant funding, this campus will be funded solely by the university trust.
Defending the need for 46 stories, much of it for student housing, Kelly agreed they were trying to maximize and monetize the project.
“There will be a revenue stream. We are trying to maximize the income from housing as a way to pay off the loan,” Kelly said.
“We’re crossing the line.”
Kelly acknowledged that rents will likely be below market value.
He said only students and those committed to the university would be able to rent units within the development.
In the summer, when student enrollment declines, the university says it hopes to rent out the units on four-month contracts.
Airbnb-style short-term rentals will not be allowed.
Speaking of the many questions about safety in the building, Kelowna Fire Chief Travis Whiting says the fire department was part of the application process, as it is with any building in the city, providing input on the building’s code and compliance.
“Modern tall buildings are built to a higher standard than previous ones and have many more safety features in them that allow for things like egress, smoke control and residential sprinklers that are now mandatory and critical to our protection of these types of buildings.” , Whiting said.
“We have a number of towers in the city and we have plans ready for those buildings and we will continue to pre-plan buildings like this to work in those structures.
“These new buildings don’t burn the way they did 25 years ago because of the very nature of the construction and the ability of fires to be contained to the unit of origin or the floor of origin and give us the ability to manage these incidents.”
In support of the project, Coun. Luke Stack pointed to the building’s unique character, saying the intention was to build a “marquee building” in Kelowna with significant design features.
“We have been encouraging UBCO to come downtown for years. We were looking for a way to bring students into our inner core, and we were so excited when UBC was created, but we always believed that we needed to have a connection to the center,” Stack said.
“To finally see a connection to downtown is huge for the city. I just wish it was a little less controversial because I actually think it’s incredibly good news for our city.
“That’s what we need and what I’ve been trying to accomplish over the years that I’ve been on the council.”
Count. Brad Sieben called it a great opportunity, while Cone. Loyal Wooldridge called the project Kelowna’s future.
Mayor Colin Basran added that the 46-story height allowance is an exception, saying he doesn’t see the city approving much more at that height.
The council’s decision sparked a tense moment when Basran asked a woman to leave the council chamber after she loudly voiced her displeasure with the council’s comments, saying they were ruining the city.
The Doyle Avenue campus is expected to house more than 350 students in the nursing and social work programs, as well as those in the programs around the art gallery. Additionally, there will be several hundred faculty and staff on campus each day.
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