Last year was one for the books when it came to development applications for the City of Kelowna.
While there were less building permits than in 2022, the projects that went forward were larger in scale and totalled a Kelowna record of $1.756 billion permit value.
“Both construction and development application activity were stronger than forecasted in 2023 (construction above the five-year average and development applications above the 10 year average),” the city said in a report to council.
A few of the projects involved in this include the Water Street by the Park development on Leon Avenue valued at $118 million (two permits for one site), the final phase of the Aqua development ($140.6 million), a $49.1 million, 19-storey tower on Bertram Street, and UBC Okanagan’s new $262 million downtown campus, which has caused problems with other structures and businesses in the area.
Apartment buildings were by far the most popular permits in 2023, according for 84 per cent of all permits (3,299 out of 3,934).
In 2024, the city is looking ahead at small scale multi-unit growth, government led supported housing, and more.
These numbers were released ahead of council’s inaugural 2024 meeting taking place on Monday, Jan. 8.
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