Forty-two storeys. More than 130 metres tall.

Downtown Kelownasa国际传媒檚 next tallest building has been approved, alongside two other sizeable towers on Leon Avenue.

Council gave the green light to the massive three-tower development sa国际传媒� which is set to be a near-complete revitalization of the street sa国际传媒� during a Tuesday night (Jan. 12) meeting. Councillors Charlie Hodge and Gail Given were the two votes in opposition of the application made by Vancouver-based developer Anthony Beyrouti, owner of ticket reseller .

At the corner of Leon and Water Street, in the heart of downtown directly adjacent to City Park, the towers will stand at 24, 28 and 42 storeys tall. Dubbed Water Street by the Park, the development is set to include 650 condo units, office space, a 727-stall parking podium, 566 long-term bike parking spots, and a bridge connecting one of the towers to the two on the opposite side of the street.

Passed. Council approves massive three-tower development with a 7sa国际传媒�2 vote. Councillors Gail Given and Charlie Hodge opposed.

sa国际传媒� Michael Rodriguez (@MichaelRdrguez)

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While council approved the project, it did so with a marked hesitance. Coun. Hodge made an impassioned plea to his fellow councillors as he announced his non-support for the project.

sa国际传媒淲esa国际传媒檙e all fed up with the state of Leon,sa国际传媒� Hodge said, speaking to the long and ongoing social challenges in the area. sa国际传媒淏ut three massive towers next to our park and so close to our waterfront is not the answer. Itsa国际传媒檚 not right for Kelowna and I know that in my heart.sa国际传媒�

City planner Terry Barton said there has been very little interest in the area from other developers, largely due to the sa国际传媒減oor shapesa国际传媒� the street is in. Hodge said the issues council has long dealt with on Leon should not lead councillors to approve the project out of desperation.

sa国际传媒淚sa国际传媒檓 afraid that because wesa国际传媒檙e so fed up, wesa国际传媒檙e just accepting something that is not in our best interest,sa国际传媒� he said.

Several letters of support for the project mentioned the state of Leon Avenue. Letters from the August Family Foundation, Global Okanagan, Prestige Hotels and Resorts, and Hotel Zed all mentioned prevalent issues, including drug use and the exodus of businesses from the street. Coun. Loyal Wooldridge said those letters sa国际传媒渟uggest gentrification like this is going to solve those social challenges.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 really important that we all step back and realize that the work that wesa国际传媒檙e doing on the social side and actually housing people is what is actually going to solve that. Not bringing wealthy people to Leon sa国际传媒� thatsa国际传媒檚 not going to solve the social challenges we have,sa国际传媒� said Wooldridge.

Mayor Colin Basran said the pros of the project outweigh the cons, but only by a very slim margin. The mayor aired several concerns, and is doubtful work on the project will start this year, but his main priority is to finally see the revitalization of an area that sa国际传媒渄esperately needs it.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淕iven the sheer mass and density of this, thatsa国际传媒檚 what happens when you have someone maybe not familiar with the local market who overpays for properties and then has to find a way to get the value out of it.

sa国际传媒淭his is a prime example of that.sa国际传媒�

Over the course of the projectsa国际传媒檚 consideration, it received little input from the public. Coun. Ryan Donn attributed this lack of participation to a changing outlook among residents regarding large, downtown developments.

Do you have something to add to this story, or something else we should report on? Email: michael.rodriguez@kelownacapnews.com

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