Lakeshore church seeks upgrade from city council

KELOWNA – St. Paul’s United Church on Lakeshore Road is seeking permission from Kelowna Council Monday to upgrade their current building to a four-storey, multi-use arts and worship centre.

The modern building will feature a large stage and various other amenities that can be used for art studios and flex space, which the applicant hopes will attract a broader demographic to the area. City staff has expressed support for the proposed development, saying it will help introduce more retail, office and residential uses.

Located in the heart of the South Pandosy Urban Centre, the site is considered a challenge to redevelop as special consideration must be given to the large number of pedestrians who use the Lakeshore Road sidewalk. Developers, however, say that the project will help draw pedestrians to the middle of the commercial block in what is presently an auto-oriented mall.

The first storey will accommodate the underbuilding parking; the second storey is comprised of office space while the third and fourth storeys will accommodate residential units of varying sizes. The Arts & Worship centre is located at the rear of the property which will also help draw people onsite.

Along KLO Road, site access will be consolidated with the westerly property, which will reduce the number of access points along this busy section of road from three to two.

The applicant has provided renderings of what can be provided on site but it is expected that some of the details will change as the concept is refined.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Adam Proskiw at aproskiw@infotelnews.ca, call (250) 718-0428 or tweet @AdamProskiw.