An apartment building development proposed near the Parkinson Recreation Centre sparked debate at a public hearing Jan. 17.

The issue for several area residents is they feel the building is too tall for their neighbourhood.

乌鸦传媒淲e are a three-storey building, this is going to be a six-storey building, we are going to be kissing balconies,乌鸦传媒� said one resident.

Another neighbour added, 乌鸦传媒渋t乌鸦传媒檚 just not the right size for the area we are in.乌鸦传媒�

The development, by Westpoint Projects, proposes 150 rental units, with one storey of at-grade parking and five storeys of apartments at 1575 Bernard Avenue, near Burtch Road.

READ MORE: Rental-only building planned for Kelowna乌鸦传媒檚 Bernard Avenue

Coun. Gord Lovegrove noted that the city received 100 per cent opposition to the project in written comments.

乌鸦传媒淚s there anybody in favour of this thing?乌鸦传媒�

While zoning can allow up to six storeys, as the project is along a transit route, Coun. Ron Cannan said that it shouldn乌鸦传媒檛 be a foregone conclusion.

乌鸦传媒淚 believe in more responsible development and not development at all cost,乌鸦传媒� he added.

Cannan and Lovegrove said while they believed it was a good development, they shared residents乌鸦传媒� concerns that the building is too tall and wanted the developer to reconsider its project.

Coun. Loyal Wooldridge pointed out that Kelowna currently has a 0.6 per cent vacancy rate.

乌鸦传媒淲eek after week we get emails from people that are living in their cars, that can乌鸦传媒檛 find a place to live and can乌鸦传媒檛 work in our stores,乌鸦传媒� he said.

Wooldridge added that council has heard loud and clear that high-rises, sprawl development and carriage houses are not wanted.

乌鸦传媒淚 would urge my colleagues that this is the exact development we need in Kelowna to meet the needs, especially of our young people.乌鸦传媒�

Coun. Luke Stack said one of the challenges previous councils have wrestled with is how to grow the city, and accommodate new people coming to the community.

乌鸦传媒淚f we don乌鸦传媒檛 do that then essentially what I guess we乌鸦传媒檙e finally concluding is that Kelowna is not going to grow,乌鸦传媒� he added.

Many residents said they liked the development, but voiced other concerns about parking, traffic, density and lost views. Several councillors noted that even a two or three-storey building would block some views of nearby buildings.

Council voted 6-2 in favour, with Cannan and Lovegrove opposed, of moving the project forward.

READ MORE: 10-year tax break for rental-only developments in Kelowna

gary.barnes@kelownacapnews.com
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