Proposed development for the old Woolworth's site

[johnny24]

Johnny Johnny Johnny....take some time and Google highrise fires in Dubai. You don't think it will be a major cluster-F**** if something happens in a never before 33 storey highrise fire in Kelowna? With firetrucks trying to get into an area with narrow two lane roads?
Oh I forgot - in our new Utopia highrise world nobody will own cars - they'll all take public transit or cycle or walk to work so there will be no exodus from the downtown core at all. For those 33 stories full of people.

Don't get me wrong. I DO believe the future of Kelowna is building UPWARDS and not outwards. But man oh man - can't they just do it wisely as a previous stated so simply?? Treat the city like a family photo - tall guy Millroy behind shorter guy Stober
in front. Makes for a way nicer picture. Sounds good except tall guy Millroy doesn't want to share the picture !

Tootsie Tootsie Tootsie. I don't live my life in fear. I have no interest in imagining the worst that can happen from every situation. As you can see, it can drive someone nuts.

[Jhunter199]

Johnny Johnny Johnny....take some time and Google highrise fires in Dubai. You don't think it will be a major cluster-F**** if something happens in a never before 33 storey highrise fire in Kelowna? With firetrucks trying to get into an area with narrow two lane roads?
Oh I forgot - in our new Utopia highrise world nobody will own cars - they'll all take public transit or cycle or walk to work so there will be no exodus from the downtown core at all. For those 33 stories full of people.

Don't get me wrong. I DO believe the future of Kelowna is building UPWARDS and not outwards. But man oh man - can't they just do it wisely as a previous stated so simply?? Treat the city like a family photo - tall guy Millroy behind shorter guy Stober
in front. Makes for a way nicer picture. Sounds good except tall guy Millroy doesn't want to share the picture !

The highrise fires in Dubai and throughout the Middle East escalated due to oversites in their building regs. They were so concerned with fireproofing the interiors of these buildings that they neglected to put much thought into the exteriors. Going with a modern aluminum cladding that when rain would hit it easily washed away the dust they would get from severe sandstorms. Problem was the core of these panels turned out the be extremely flammable and when installed with zero breaks makes it very easy for fire to travel and spread the entire building.

https://www.thestar.com/business/2016/0 ... ferno.html

[entertained]

Got a question with all of high raise / low raise condos being built or proposed. Here is my question: who is buying them.
2nd question: where is all infrastructure to support the increase population & traffic.

exactly....imagine the traffic in the am at the apartments on klo across from the regional district. Someone must have been sleeping when that went to vote.

[Tootsie]

Nope Johnny not driving me nuts at all.

I have an opinion of what Kelowna City Council has approved is just wrong. We all have our opinions and maybe you & I disagree of what is right at the moment. Mine is the city of Kelowna PAYS people to be on a planning committee. They are PAID to advise and PLAN what the vision for the city is. Why are they there in the first place ! When their education & knowledge is basically thrown in the garbage is what irks me.

I totally GET IT - the city needs to expand upwards. But really - this whole "build build build" attitude without consequences attitude is mind baffling to me. Growth is good - but the resources and infrastructure need to be there to accomodate it. As I said earlier, more people equals more pressure on our resources (ie: health care). More people moving into downtown highrises on the surface looks all good right? But those SAME people DO have heart attacks, need emergency care. We don't have any more hospitals to accommodate them. It's all fairy dust to think all those people buying those condos will be perfectly fit people that will never need healthcare in Kelowna. Dream on if you think that.

[LANDM]

Nope Johnny not driving me nuts at all.

I have an opinion of what Kelowna City Council has approved is just wrong. We all have our opinions and maybe you & I disagree of what is right at the moment. Mine is the city of Kelowna PAYS people to be on a planning committee. They are PAID to advise and PLAN what the vision for the city is. Why are they there in the first place ! When their education & knowledge is basically thrown in the garbage is what irks me.

I totally GET IT - the city needs to expand upwards. But really - this whole "build build build" attitude without consequences attitude is mind baffling to me. Growth is good - but the resources and infrastructure need to be there to accomodate it. As I said earlier, more people equals more pressure on our resources (ie: health care). More people moving into downtown highrises on the surface looks all good right? But those SAME people DO have heart attacks, need emergency care. We don't have any more hospitals to accommodate them. It's all fairy dust to think all those people buying those condos will be perfectly fit people that will never need healthcare in Kelowna. Dream on if you think that.

And Kelowna pays the mayor and council, who were elected by the people of Kelowna, to make the final decision after considering advice from all sources. DCC's on every development capture the long term infrastructure costs that are necessary for the future infrastructure improvements that you speak of. Provincially, health care is handled by our taxes and those people will be living somewhere. Thinking we need to be stagnant is silly.

[GordonH]

^^^ been racking my brain to think of any traffic infrastructure done in Kelowna in last decade. To help accommodate the increase traffic in downtown area working outward (besides shrinking Ethel).
Reason being they can't without huge expenditures for purchasing homes & businesses to do any widening.
So increase traffic is going have to squeeze into what is currently there, welcome to ever longer bumper to bumper.

Added: knowing how long it can take to turn left onto Richter at certain times of the day (closer one gets to Harvey). I can only imagine turning left (ouch) out of under the building parking at Central Green (right will be little to no problem). Heads up to owners of those condos, do a lot of right turns.

Added later: so we have this high raise, then 1 next to prospera, then one across street, then Ellis & Lawrence.... oh yes the Hotel. Have I missed any others

[60-YEARS-in-Ktown]

Maybe council will stop listening to the traffic planners next..

[GordonH]

Maybe council will stop listening to the traffic planners next..

CoK actually have traffic planner/s, I suspect that would be a surprise to motoring public. Looking at last decade+, they appear to get paid to do ?????

Added: that idea of encouraging drivers to take transit appears to be an overwhelming flop.

[Lady tehMa]

re: traffic infrastructure - City is actually building multiuse pathways to get some of those cyclists out of the way (see Ethel St for the latest).

They're also working on the Reid's corner area and the north end of Rutland Road.

Harvey, aka Highway 97 is in the hands of the Ministry of Transportation and our city can't actually do anything with it.

What they DO need to do is move their butts on that Enterprise bypass that's been planned for years.

As for building tall - it's going to happen. I have less issues with it away from the lake than I do with them up front (that Milroy debacle - they bullied the council plain and simple. Or maybe bribed? Someone had an interesting list of "donations" contrasted with votes . . . hope they post it again here.) but I am frustrated with the City's inability to hold a firm stance without waffling.

[johnny24]

Nope Johnny not driving me nuts at all.

I have an opinion of what Kelowna City Council has approved is just wrong. We all have our opinions and maybe you & I disagree of what is right at the moment. Mine is the city of Kelowna PAYS people to be on a planning committee. They are PAID to advise and PLAN what the vision for the city is. Why are they there in the first place ! When their education & knowledge is basically thrown in the garbage is what irks me.

I totally GET IT - the city needs to expand upwards. But really - this whole "build build build" attitude without consequences attitude is mind baffling to me. Growth is good - but the resources and infrastructure need to be there to accomodate it. As I said earlier, more people equals more pressure on our resources (ie: health care). More people moving into downtown highrises on the surface looks all good right? But those SAME people DO have heart attacks, need emergency care. We don't have any more hospitals to accommodate them. It's all fairy dust to think all those people buying those condos will be perfectly fit people that will never need healthcare in Kelowna. Dream on if you think that.

If you keep thinking what can possibly go wrong with every project, you'll never get anything accomplished. Maybe when I'm 70, I'll share your vision of a city full of hospitals, but not now.

[GordonH]

re: traffic infrastructure - City is actually building multiuse pathways to get some of those cyclists out of the way (see Ethel St for the latest).
from my personal experienced in Kelowna cyclists are not the cause traffic backups

They're also working on the Reid's corner area and the north end of Rutland Road.

Harvey, aka Highway 97 is in the hands of the Ministry of Transportation and our city can't actually do anything with it.

What they DO need to do is move their butts on that Enterprise bypass that's been planned for years.

As for building tall - it's going to happen. I have less issues with it away from the lake than I do with them up front (that Milroy debacle - they bullied the council plain and simple. Or maybe bribed? Someone had an interesting list of "donations" contrasted with votes . . . hope they post it again here.) but I am frustrated with the City's inability to hold a firm stance without waffling.

Enterprise bypass will have absolutely no impact with the north <> south traffic issues.

Kelowna's biggest traffic problem is not even a city road
2 things that should have been done back in 50s, 60s or even early 70.... never happened and because of this, we have what we have.
1) the biggest one the proposed bypass of Kelowna should have taking place, chamber of commerce could go f themselves back in the day for blocking this.
2) overpasses over Hwy 97 from Pandosy to at least Dilworth should have either been built or at least the land made available for there building in the future.

So you are right Lady tehMa these building will be built (sooner or later), the residents will just have to live with the ongoing traffic issues. So Kelowna suck it up & leave earlier. Because nothing is going to improve, just going to get worse.