Westcorp's 24-storey hotel proposal on lakeshore

[kompili]

24-storey hotel project reaches City Hall
by Wayne Moore - Story: 108866
Feb 13, 2014 / 12:45 pm


Photo: Contributed - Artist Rendering
Proposed 24-storey boutique hotel and conference centre on the site of the former Willow Inn.
The much awaited waterfront development proposal for the old Willow Inn site has finally come to light.

Westcorp Properties, owners of the former hotel site have submitted plans for a 24 storey, 206 room hotel and conference centre to City Hall.

Along with the 206 hotel rooms the plans also include provisions for 17,000 square feet of conference space, 4,800 square feet of retail space, plus a restaurant and coffee shop adjacent to Kerry Park.

With the current re-birth in the downtown area including the new pier, new yacht club, expansion of Stuart Park and revitalization of Bernard Avenue, Westcorp's director of development, Gail Temple, says she believes the development is the 'missing piece of the puzzle.'

"I think it's going to be a fantastic people place that is created right behind Kerry Park," says Temple.

In a news release announcing the project, Westcorp President, Phil Milroy says he believes the project will 'revive' this area into the 'vibrant, central hub it once was' during the historic glory days of the original Willow Inn.

"It will connect the community's waterfront with the downtown core through a pedestrian-only realm that will foster social activities and community interaction," says Milroy.

"We feel it embodies the vision of renewal expressed by many residents and downtown business owners and are excited for what it could mean for the downtown core."

The proposal includes a request by Westcorp to purchase and close Mill Street and a portion of Queensway Avenue directly in front of the property.

Both requests will require rezoning and Official Community Plan amendments.

Temple says the project would abut onto Mill Street but not Kerry Park.

"We are proposing to purchase Mill St - we are not proposing to purchase any of Kerry Park," says Temple.

The city would lose 22 parking stalls along Mill Street and Queensway, however, the proposal states those stalls would be rebuilt within the city's parkade.

According to a report prepared by Grant Thornton, the project would require a capital investment of more than $65M, a conservative estimate according to Temple.

The Grant Thornton report also states 720 direct and indirect construction jobs would be created with an economic impact in excess of $12M.

The development proposal will be scrutinized by City staff before a report and recommendations are delivered to City Council.

City Urban Planning Manager, Ryan Smith, says that could take three to four months.

"Because it is high profile it will probably get more scrutiny than less from city staff, as well as the community," says Smith.

[zerograv]

Jobs is what i think!

[Catri]

I'm opposed to building high rises on the waterfront. I do think it's great that downtown will be losing more parking though. Clearly that's the ideal that City Hall is backing. No parking, no cars, no traffic. Just people who live and work down there enjoying their little concrete jungle on foot, bikes and bus. Selling/closing Mill Street is a great idea too, what with the new tourist info centre going in down at the end of Queensway it's best to make it as inaccessible by road as possible.

[cv23]

If the purchase and redesign of Queensway, shown in the diagram and discussed in the text, happens there will be a hole lot more than 22 parking places lost and there won't be any real vehicular access to the new Tourist Info bldg we taxpayers are going to construct.
While the design is pleasing enough and would no doubt be a welcome addition to downtown I'm personally not so keen on the idea of the City selling Mill and part of Queensway with out a great deal of public input on the matter. With this being a civic election year adding the question of the sale of City assets like this and the Pandosy (Abbott) St properties onto the ballot in the form of a public referendum would certainly let the voters/taxpayers opinions be known.

[Anonymous123]

Isn't this the reason they " gave" us our new pier?

[Catri]

I do have a question about that rendering. What is that tall building in the background on the north side of Bernard between Pandosy and Ellis? Is there a tall one in the works for there that I hadn't heard about?

[Captain Awesome]

Looks pretty cool. I don't know much about hotel business, but I guess there's enough demand for them to build something this large.

[CrystalCity]

A 24 storey building, yes, purchasing and closing streets, no. I don't see this happening. They would also have to get the Ministry of Transportation involved as this would impact highway traffic, I guess. The whole idea seems more controversial than the Monaco. Reach for the stars and hope you grab an astroid, I guess.

Why not get really adventurous and let the street run under the hotel?

[cv23]

I do have a question about that rendering. What is that tall building in the background on the north side of Bernard between Pandosy and Ellis? Is there a tall one in the works for there that I hadn't heard about?

That's Aqualini's tower which has been on the books for years

Interesting that Milroy would go to all the cost of designing a complex like this without actually owning the land it is supposed to sit on. Things that make you think "hummmm".

[Steve-O]

Looks great. Lets start building.

[Catri]

Thanks cv23, I should have remembered that!

[TimmyE]

It looks like the foot of Queensway is just a drop off spot for the hotel and if that's the case, then we should either make sure they pay for the improvements or buy the whole darn street to Water Street.

By the way, how many parking spots did we just lose between this project and the new tourist information centre? Let alone the loss of parking when angle parking disappeared downtown. Maybe City council should just get it over with and declare downtown a no car zone.

[Rwede]

Will they have a lounge with peelers?

[CrystalCity]

They show it from a different angle on the main castanet page.

I'm just not buying this one, it's just too out there, even for me. The whole idea leaves me thinking"WHY?!?" I get increasing pedestrian flow, but for 2/3 of the year this thing would be empty and just taking up space.

[GasTownDreams]

Bye bye, Grand hotel?