Built up, not out.
It was suggested years ago with more people migrating to Kelowna.
Now with so many highrises in the downtown core, many believe it's overkill.
The City of Kelowna's planning director Ryan Smith says, damned if you do, damned if you don't.
"Hopefully 10 years from now or 20 years from now, people will look back and say those highrises weren't a bad thing. They brought new life downtown. They brought new entertainment options downtown and a new culture downtown, all those types of things."
There are 25 highrises that are either under construction, approved or are looking at getting rubber stamped.
"Are highrises appropriate? I think so. At a good scale and done well. How many? Time will tell. We have looked at downtown and heard about downtown for years and these highrises are part of bringing people downtown and really starting to build a great place and lifestyle that they can live downtown," Smith added.
One thing residents living in highrises have noticed is they walk more, with downtown offering great restaurants and parks nearby.