After getting an earful from residents against and for a proposed Tourism Kelowna building on the city's waterfront last night, Kelowna city council decided to proceed with the project.
The 3,300 square foot visitor centre would be built on a city-owned parking lot at Queensway and Mill, also known as the Queensway Jetty, and would be one storey tall with a mezzanine.
Citing a shift in tourist behaviour, Tourism Kelowna argued the building would better serve the needs of tourists than the current one on Harvey Ave. as visits to traditional highway centres have declined. 78% of visitor centres in Canada and the U.S. are now in downtown high pedestrian areas.
The public hearing to rezone the land attracted over 200 people, overflowing council chambers.
Resident Selena Mason was one of the people who spoke against the building.
“I am invested in this community and I want to let you know that I can see that there are some significant changes. Do we need an upgraded and vibrant Kelowna visitor centre? Yes, but do we need to put it on the last piece of parkland?”
Another resident, Ian Palmer, got applause from some residents as he held up a sign when speaking to council.
“You’re asking the citizens of this city to give up the last remaining part of their lakefront for a building that promotes corporations and so I would like to say that as a citizen of this I think that we need to take your corporate hands off of our public lands”.
But the project also received a lot of support, especially from business owners and organizations, including Penny Athens, Executive Director of the Downtown Kelowna Association.
“There have been many questions about this visitor information centre. Is it needed now that we have an internet age? Is it in the right locations? Will people use it well? I can tell you from first hand experience the answer is yes, yes, yes”
Some residents also spoke in favour of the centre, including Lisa Stevenson.
“Kelowna’s unemployment rate is close to 9%- the worst of any BC’s major centres. This center will help create jobs because tourism will flourish”
The city received under 300 letters from residents regarding the application prior to the hearing. 202 were against the project while 91 were for it.
After letting residents take turns to speak for nearly five hours, council voted 7-1 in favour of rezoning the land for the visitor information centre.
