Urban Centres

Policy 4.2.1. Accessible Community Services.
Prioritize the following services in Urban Centres to create a more accessible and inclusive community, including, but not limited to:

• Government services;
• Medical, health and wellness services;
• Childcare, schools, libraries, and post-secondary institutions;
• Places of worship, recreation centres, and other community gathering spaces;
• Food retail, services and programs;
• Banks and credit unions; and
• Accessible year round public washrooms.

Policy 4.2.2. Safety Net Supports and Services.
Recognize Urban Centres as key locations for safety net supports and services, such as shelters and services that support them, for people experiencing homelessness. Recognize that shelters are used by a diversity of people with different needs such as women fleeing violence, youth and adults. Ensure information is provided to the community to foster positive relationships and promote acceptance for these supports, services and the citizens that are using them.

Policy 4.2.3. Accessible and Welcoming Urban Centres.
Design civic facilities, public spaces, streetscapes, infrastructure, programs and services that are accessible, available and inclusive of all ages, incomes and abilities, including seniors, people with diverse abilities, Indigenous people, and newcomers. Prioritize accessibility retrofits in Urban Centres for existing facilities.

Policy 4.2.4. Walled Developments.
Discourage development that is enclosed on all sides by walls, gates or other physical or visual barriers that hinder efforts to create more pedestrian, bicycle and transit friendly communities, block access to public park land or inhibit the efficient use of infrastructure. 

Policy 4.2.5. Urban Centre School Sites.
Encourage the retention of existing schools and the location of new schools in Urban Centres. Locations within Urban Centres should incorporate a design approach that prioritizes the needs of children while responding to smaller land acquisition requirements, including, but not limited to the following approaches:

• Shared use of facilities, sports fields and playgrounds;
• Pedestrian oriented access and site circulation;
• Increased building heights; and
• Reduced parking standards.

Policy 4.2.6. Child Care Spaces.
Facilitate the development of child care spaces in Urban Centres that are accessible, affordable, and inclusive spaces that meet the needs of the community.

Policy 4.4.1. Civic Precinct Plan.
Use the Civic Precinct Plan for detailed policy guidance Downtown, including guidance for the location of major civic and cultural facilities. Where policies conflict with policies in the Official Community Plan, the Official Community Plan policies shall take precedence.

Policy 4.4.2. Downtown Skyline.
Support development Downtown that is generally consistent with Map 4.1 to accomplish the following:

• Tapering of heights from taller buildings in the centre of Downtown to lower buildings towards Okanagan Lake and adjacent Core Area Neighbourhoods;
• Preservation of the existing form and character of historic Bernard Avenue and other heritage sites;
• Consistency with the objectives of the Civic Precinct Plan; and
• The development of taller buildings that incorporate distinct architectural features in strategic locations near Okanagan Lake.

Policy 4.4.3. Taller Downtown Buildings.
With due consideration of the objectives of Policy 4.4.2, consider support for development that is higher than the heights outlined in Map 4.1 where the proposal contains significant benefit to Kelowna citizens, including some or a combination of the following:

• An affordable, supportive and/or rental housing component that further advances Urban Centre housing objectives;
• A significant public amenity that supports the fostering of more inclusive and socially connected Urban Centres, such as parks, public spaces, schools, post-secondary institutions or childcare facilities;
• Offsite considerations, including enhanced streetscapes, provision of Active Transportation Corridors, tree canopy protection and enhancement, or green infrastructure within the road right of way;
• Smaller tower floorplates to mitigate the impact on views and shadowing; and/or
• Outstanding and extraordinary architectural design.

Policy 4.4.4. Bernard Avenue Character.
Ensure redevelopment on Bernard Avenue is designed to reinforce the continuous streetwall, two to three storey building and/or podium heights, and narrow building frontages that embody the high street character of Bernard Avenue and abutting retail streets.

Policy 4.4.5. Downtown Street Character.
Support development in the Downtown Urban Centre that includes the following characteristics at grade, as outlined in Map 4.2.

• Retail space along Bernard Avenue integrated with a high-quality urban streetscape experience, reinforcing the street as Downtown’s high street;
• Retail space along designated retail streets to create more dynamic spaces with high levels of pedestrian activity; and
• Civic and cultural uses, with supporting retail uses along the Art Walk and portions of Water Street designated as civic streets, in keeping with the directions of the Civic Precinct Plan.

Policy 4.4.6. Downtown Heritage Revitalization Agreements.
Consider the use of Heritage Revitalization Agreements to provide greater flexibility for redevelopment proposals of historic buildings in the Downtown for projects that protect and conserve heritage value of buildings in a manner that is consistent with the National Standards and Guidelines for Historic Conservation, as amended.

Policy 4.4.7. Downtown Revitalization Tax Exemption.
Continue to support a revitalization tax exemption program to encourage investment Downtown.

Policy 4.6.1. Pandosy Building Heights.
Undertake a building heights study as part of an Urban Centre Plan process for the Pandosy Urban Centre. Until this process is complete, support development in the Pandosy Urban Centre that is generally consistent with the building heights outlined in Map 4.5 to accomplish the following:

• Focusing taller buildings along Pandosy Street and Lakeshore Road and tapering heights down towards Okanagan Lake to maximize the area’s visual and physical connection to the lake;
• Supporting mid-rise buildings on and around the Okanagan College Transit Oriented Area; and
• Tapering building heights down east of Richter Street to transition into adjacent Core Area neighbourhoods.

Policy 4.6.2. Taller Pandosy Buildings.
Prior to the development of a neighbourhood plan for the Pandosy Urban Centre, and with due consideration of the objectives of Policy 4.6.1, consider support for development that is higher than 25% of the heights outlined in Map 4.5. where the proposal contains significant benefit to Kelowna citizens, including some or a combination of the following:

• An affordable, supportive and/or rental housing component that further advances Urban Centre housing objectives;
• A significant public amenity that supports the fostering of more inclusive and socially connected Urban Centres, such as parks, public spaces, schools, post-secondary institutions or childcare facilities;
• Offsite considerations, including enhanced streetscapes, provision of Active Transportation Corridors, tree canopy protection and enhancement, or green infrastructure within the road right of way;
• Smaller tower floorplates to mitigate the impact on views and shadowing; and/or
• Outstanding and extraordinary architectural design.

Development proposals that exceed a height greater than 25% over those outlined in Map 4.5 may be considered in the area signaled as the “Pandosy / Lakeshore Corridor”  but should not exceed 14 storeys, with due consideration of the attributes above.

Policy 4.6.3. Pandosy Retail Street Character.
Support development in the Pandosy Urban Centre that includes the following characteristics at grade, as outlined in Map 4.6:

• Retail space along Pandosy Street and Lakeshore Road integrated with a high-quality urban streetscape experience, reinforcing this corridor as the Urban Centre’s high street; and
• Retail space along Tutt Street and nearby streets in the “Pandosy Village” area designated as retail streets to create more dynamic spaces with high levels of pedestrian activity.

Policy 4.6.4. Pandosy Character Transition.
Encourage new development along the south side of KLO Road west of Richter Street that is complimentary with the form and character of the “Pandosy Village” area, as illustrated in Map 4.5, through the following approaches:

• Design of retail facades that are consistent in scale with the adjacent Pandosy Village to create a cohesive high street along Pandosy Street and Lakeshore Road;
• Identification of new streets and pathways that break up the shopping centre blocks, providing better east/west connectivity;
• Consistent design of off-site infrastructure, such as sidewalks, street furniture, and street trees; and
• Provision of new public spaces to provide more activity at the pedestrian scale.

Policy 4.6.5. Okanagan College.
Support the continued growth of the Okanagan College KLO campus and its integration with rest of the Pandosy Urban Centre.

Policy 4.8.1. Midtown Residential Development.
Prioritize the development of multi-unit residential uses over employment uses in Midtown to support a greater live work balance.

Policy 4.8.2. Midtown Urbanization.
To address Midtown’s deficiency in the pedestrian environment, poor street connectivity, lack of housing choices and public spaces, support the redevelopment of properties where the proposal demonstrates the following characteristics:

• Improved street connectivity, particularly east-west connectivity, through the identification of new streets and pathways that break up large blocks;
• Improved pedestrian environment;
• Identification and dedication of parks and public spaces;
• Integration of transit infrastructure, such as transit exchanges for example; and
• Housing mix, with consideration for affordable housing as outlined in the Healthy Housing Strategy.

Policy 4.8.3. Midtown Building Heights.
Undertake a building heights study as part of an Urban Centre Plan process for the Midtown Urban Centre. Until this process is complete, support development in the Midtown Urban Centre  that is generally consistent with the building heights outlined in Map 4.9. Building heights should be highest towards Highway 97, the Frequent Transit Network and the Orchard Park Transit Oriented Area.  

Policy 4.8.4. Taller Midtown Buildings.
Prior to the development of a Midtown Urban Centre Plan, and with due consideration of the objectives of Policy 4.7.3 consider development that is higher than the heights outlined in Map 4.9 where the proposal further advances the objectives of Policy 4.8.2.

Policy 4.8.5. Midtown Street Character.
Support development in the Midtown Urban Centre that includes the following characteristics at grade, as outlined in Map 4.10:

• Retail space along Highway 97, Springfield Road, Cooper Road and Dilworth Drive; and
• Establishing a new east-west road connection from Baron Road to Kent Road via Agassiz Road

Identify other street characteristics through a future Midtown Urban Centre Plan or other neighbourhood planning process.

Policy 4.8.6. Transit Supportive Midtown.
To further support higher capacity transit along Highway 97, locate buildings closer to and oriented towards the highway, provide additional landscaping treatments, and do not locate surface parking between the highway and new development.

Policy 4.10.1. Equitable Food Access.
Encourage the inclusion of small and mid-size grocery stores, seasonal farmers markets and emergency food services in Urban Centre neighbourhoods.

Policy 4.10.2. Farmer’s Markets.
Encourage and facilitate the development of both year-round and seasonal farmer’s markets in Urban Centres to provide access to healthy food options.

Policy 4.10.3. Urban Agriculture.
Encourage urban agriculture that uses integrated pest management practices as a way of supplementing the local food system and reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with food production, processing, and transportation. In Urban Centres, support and encourage urban agriculture using approaches that include, but are not limited to:

• Food production on public and private land including rooftops, beehives, and edible landscaping on residential boulevards, park land, backyards, and rights-of-way
• Multi-residential shared gardens and services (i.e. water and storage) in new developments; and
• Private and non-profit sector universally-accessible community gardens, considering the use of City-owned land for use of community gardens where appropriate.

Policy 4.10.4. Indigenous Forest Gardens.
Partner with syilx/Okanagan communities to develop, forest gardens that focus on the cultivation of native and culturally important species of plants for food and medicine.

Policy 4.13.1. Housing with Supports.
Prioritize the development of subsidized housing and housing with supports in the Urban Centres in addition to the Core Area, particularly near employment, public transit, services and amenities. Promote acceptance by the community for these supports, services and the citizens that are using them.

Policy 4.13.2. Displacement Effects of Gentrification. 
Ensure Urban Centre planning initiatives and significant redevelopment opportunities include affordable housing and access to services to ensure low to moderate income renters are protected from displacement effects of gentrification.

Policy 4.13.3. Tenant Assistance.
Work towards the creation of a Council policy to protect tenants displaced by redevelopment through fair relocation assistance from the developer. Such relocation assistance should ensure that tenants retain their access to services and amenities, such as employment, transportation and schools.