Kelowna is ugly

[Omnitheo]

I've been to many places around Canada, the US, Mexico, Japan.

I often hear people talk about how beautiful Kelowna is. I don't see it. I see gross 1/2 story concrete buildings, rundown and abandoned buildings. unmaintained parks and beaches filled with undesirables. I go hike up a mountain, look down on the city, and aside from a few spots of green (we do have lots of nice trees), the city looks like a bomb dropped on it. Everything is grey and ugly. Giant parking lots, huge flat walmart sized superstores. What am I missing that others are seeing?

People complain about how ugly highrises are, but aside from the 50 year old Kiwanis tower, the high-rises are about the only good looking constructions the city has. I'll admit I quite like architecture, so when I see some of these new buildings, i find myself awe struck by their beauty, but the nimby impression I get from Kelowna residents is that these are towering obelisks which obscure the scenery and cast darkness and despair across the city.

Now, I understand the argument that they can block the view of the mountains or lake or whatever, but it doesn't take 30 stories to block the mountains, it takes 1, or 2, or a couple trees. If you're standing at street level, it's not going to make any difference how tall a structure is to obstruct your view.

What I don't understand is how people can complain about a beautifully designed highrise, claiming about how it will destroy the natural beauty of an area, when that "natural beauty" is a trailer park. Or a strip club, or a bare patch of land.

I grew up here as a kid, and Kelowna and West Kelowna were beautiful. There were hills to climb, full of trails. You could go exploring nature, catch frogs, birdwatch. If you were lucky you could find turtles, or praying mantis's or other rare creatures. This has all changed, because you can't hike those hills anymore. They're all houses. My childhood pond is paved over for a subdivision. The sand trails I used to climb have been dug away to fit more houses. The mountains in every directions I look are covered in individual (but still way outside any reasonable price range) houses.

I feel my point could be better illustrated with some pictures. But this shouldn't be necessary, you live here, you see what I see. So tell me what's beautiful about Kelowna. The Willow Inn? Hiawatha? Kerry Park? Ellis Street 10 years ago? Because if only the Nimby's were speaking, they'd have you convinced that these were hallowed grounds of majestic splendor.

[itmacpc]

ever been to Kamloops?

But seriously...what keeps you here then? The marvelous wages everyone makes?

take a hike.

[Graphite]

There really is not anyone who would have to defend Kelowna to you, and it appears that is what you are nudging people to do? No matter what anyone here says it won't change your perspective so I don't really understand the point of your post?

[Omnitheo]

ever been to Kamloops?

But seriously...what keeps you here then? The marvelous wages everyone makes?

take a hike.

I take lots of hikes. I walk about 2 hours a day.

I've only been to Kamloops once, and it was in the middle of winter, so there wasn't a lot to see.I don't hear people bragging all the time about how beautiful kamloops is though.

What's kept me here are friends, family, and my job. I don't understand the hostility in your post. It seems like you only read the headline of my post, ignored the content, then proceeded to tell me to *bleep*, thank you for your contribution.

[itmacpc]

what are you hoping to accomplish with the post? seriously, think that one through. No doubt Kelowna has changed, and all of it not for the better. What have you done to stop the change?

You live here now. Deal with it/change it /or leave it.

[Captain Awesome]

I think it depends on where you are. I don't mind downtown and Lakeshore area, Pandosy area is pretty cool. Hooterville...well, that's Hooterville, what you expect. Other areas are more residential, so it's mostly just houses. The main stretch/highway though is uber ugly - can we have more dealerships and giant parking lots, please?

[Omnitheo]

wow hostility....


1st. Why is everyone telling me to get off my butt and take a hike? I walk 2 hours a day. Average about 8KM.

2nd. What have I done to stop the change? I'm not trying to stop change, change is inevitable. What i'm advocating is smart change. Instead of developing up mountains, why are we so dead-set against highrises? The purpose of my post is saying that it's silly to say that a trailer park is better for Kelowna's Image than a beautifully designed iconic looking buildings. (I think my favourite is the Centuria).

There are parts of Kelowna which are quite nice. There's a neighbourhood in Glenmore I walk through which is awesome. But looking down from dilworth or knox mountain and you get a very different image. Look at Walmart for example. Acres of land, occupied by a flat ugly building and parking lot. In Victoria, Vancouver, many cities in Japan, such retail outlets are often stacked into multiple floors. or hidden underground. this conserves space for other uses. In kelowna and westbank though we allow these massive ugly superstores to be built all throughout town. Walmart could have built their parking lot underneath the store for instance.

People complain about highrises, being ugly, but where were the multiple topics debating about these giant box stores being allowed?

[cv23]

Kelowna was a beautiful quaint little place by many standards. Being smaller and with a fairly high percentage of full time resident property owners the pride in ownership and community was quite obvious. Sadly though years of uncontrolled and unregulated growth coupled with a dramatic influx of new, many part time residents and property owners has led to a dramatic decline in the city's overall appeal, both visually and in community spirit.
Will the present pro-development Council be remembered as visionaries who led the community to the return to former lustre with new developments or recreants who added to the ugliness by repeating past blunders? Only time will tell .

[Lerfy]

I grew up in the lower mainland and moved here as an adult 7 years ago. It is still no surprise to me why people choose to come here on vacation. The things you complain about are the things that locals complain about, not what somebody who is visiting and saying how beautiful K-tow is, would have issues with. We live in a beautiful city, and the biggest problem we have is how badly locals nitpick our BEAUTIFUL city. Go to any beautiful city in the world, look at it as hard as you are looking at our city, and it will look like a cesspool... For the love of 'you know who', we live in a great place, so accept it!

[janalta]

I suppose it all depends on your vision of beauty.
You basically look at Kelowna in terms of architecture. Personally, I've never viewed any city anywhere and thought to myself....wow, look at all of the wonderful buildings, what a beautiful place.
Every average to large sized city anywhere has it's areas of car dealerships, industry, large box stores and strip malls....but, most do not have the natural viewpoints to allow on to see all of that from above street level.
Although Kelowna is not the same place I grew up, and all of the development on the surrounding hills and mountainsides breaks my heart....if you're talking from a strictly urban perspective, there are plenty of beautiful areas.
But...I see things differently....I see past the buildings at the lake and mountains, the beaches, greenspaces and parks....and if you stop to take in the natural scenery.....you'd be hard pressed to find a more beautiful place to live.

[Mtn Biker]

I've been to many places around Canada, the US, Mexico, Japan.

I often hear people talk about how beautiful Kelowna is. I don't see it. I see gross 1/2 story concrete buildings, rundown and abandoned buildings. unmaintained parks and beaches filled with undesirables. I go hike up a mountain, look down on the city, and aside from a few spots of green (we do have lots of nice trees), the city looks like a bomb dropped on it. Everything is grey and ugly. Giant parking lots, huge flat walmart sized superstores. What am I missing that others are seeing?

People complain about how ugly highrises are, but aside from the 50 year old Kiwanis tower, the high-rises are about the only good looking constructions the city has. I'll admit I quite like architecture, so when I see some of these new buildings, i find myself awe struck by their beauty, but the nimby impression I get from Kelowna residents is that these are towering obelisks which obscure the scenery and cast darkness and despair across the city.

Now, I understand the argument that they can block the view of the mountains or lake or whatever, but it doesn't take 30 stories to block the mountains, it takes 1, or 2, or a couple trees. If you're standing at street level, it's not going to make any difference how tall a structure is to obstruct your view.

What I don't understand is how people can complain about a beautifully designed highrise, claiming about how it will destroy the natural beauty of an area, when that "natural beauty" is a trailer park. Or a strip club, or a bare patch of land.

I grew up here as a kid, and Kelowna and West Kelowna were beautiful. There were hills to climb, full of trails. You could go exploring nature, catch frogs, birdwatch. If you were lucky you could find turtles, or praying mantis's or other rare creatures. This has all changed, because you can't hike those hills anymore. They're all houses. My childhood pond is paved over for a subdivision. The sand trails I used to climb have been dug away to fit more houses. The mountains in every directions I look are covered in individual (but still way outside any reasonable price range) houses.

I feel my point could be better illustrated with some pictures. But this shouldn't be necessary, you live here, you see what I see. So tell me what's beautiful about Kelowna. The Willow Inn? Hiawatha? Kerry Park? Ellis Street 10 years ago? Because if only the Nimby's were speaking, they'd have you convinced that these were hallowed grounds of majestic splendor.

Bla, bla, bla, what ever. Time to move. See ya.

[mpom]

Kelowna is ugly right now. I'll leave the buildings and sprawl up the hillsides out of it for a moment. it is the time of year before all is green that lends to the dullness. The other factor is the amount of garbage on the sides of roads and highways. Methinks it is from the automated pick-up of recycleables, being blown around (blue bins). The rest of it comes directly from the citizens. Almost every weekend, there are fresh drops of paper and wrappings from the local fast food eateries in our neighborhood on the road. Never mind here in town, have a look at the illegal dumping in various areas just on the edge of town or farther. Now that's UGLY! Lastly, who designed and approved that ugly concrete flower/tree garden on Hgwy 97 in front of orchard park mall? In their wisdom, they forgot to get rid of the left turn lane into the mall, which IMHO, serves to worsen traffic woes. UGLY? You bet.

[techrtr]

Kelowna has a beautiful location, but the city itself is ugly. Too many years of unplanned, unregulated growth, too many absentee property owners who don't care if their rental property is being used as a crack house, or they don't bother to maintain it.

[Ken7]

I'd say the original post doesn't know what the $%&^* he wants. He goes on about looking at high rises and then back to when he was a puddle jumper.

Reality is, when you look at Kelowna and how it built out and built out it is in many ways mixed up. You have residential mixed with commercial. I know you can't always plan ahead but they didn't really plan at all.

The beauty of this City is the nature around us. The lakelands, the forests and the mountains. If you took the lake and the mountains ( hills ) away from this area it would be nothing more then a city that has grown and grown.

My opinion of high density it would further be turning this city into a large spill pile of human waste!

[goatboy]

Soooo ugly...........