Post by DuaneT on Mar 31, 2005 11:45:41 GMT -5
This is the story on the front page today, stay tuned for more details.
Developer says he'll build around covenant
By Daily Courier Staff
Edmonton developer Phil Milroy says he is reworking his plans for the $250-million Lawson’s Landing to respect the Simpson covenant on Kelowna’s waterfront.
In a telephone interview Wednesday, Milroy told The Daily Courier there are three or four versions of the modified project.
He said they are different combinations of four and five residential/hotel towers to be constructed on the site which includes land now occupied by the Willow Inn, an office building next door, the former Royal Trust property adjacent to Kerry Park and portions of Queensway and Mill street.
“We think (there was) fairly small opposition to what we originally proposed (on the covenant land), but we wanted to figure a way to stay away from the Simpson covenant, a redesign to accommodate the sensitivities,” Milroy said.
“We have our chosen one (preferred option), but we will see what the city thinks of those, develop those and see what the community thinks. It will be as quick as we can do it, but there’s a lot of work to do.”<br>The options include reducing the footprint of the towers and making them higher, he said, adding all of the options will work on the site.
The timeframe to complete all phases of the project will now likely be six years instead of five, he said, and the price tag is “likely to creep up” from the original estimate of $250 million.
“I think that’s great,” said Kelowna lawyer/former alderman Tom Smithwick, who represents the Simpson family as well as Kelowna Yacht Club.
“The Simpson family has always said let’s just respect our heritage, respect the past, respect the covenant . . . which I don’t think is too much to ask.”<br>
Sharron Simpson, granddaughter of patriarch Stanley M. Simpson, added: “Well, that’s very interesting. It will be interesting to see how that plays out, whether it includes the parking lot at the end of Queensway. I don’t know if the city is buying that interpretation of the covenant.”<br>Coun. Sharon Shepherd, acting mayor, said Wednesday: “That’s good news. I had heard some rumours about that. It’s generated a lot of correspondence from the community. If he’s addressing the covenant, that would alleviate a lot of the concerns. Our (city council’s) only response has been we haven’t seen anything yet.”
Stanley M. Simpson sold his downtown property to the city in two blocks with a number of conditions: it would be used for civic or community purposes, and under no conditions would the city sell or use the property for commercial or industrial purposes.
The 2.4 acres of lakeshore west of Water Street were sold for $25,000 in the late 1940s and used for the Kelowna Yacht Club, a courthouse and public boat launch.
The eight-acre property between Water and Ellis streets, Doyle Avenue and a lane north of Queensway, was sold for $30,000 – essentially the cleanup cost after a October 1944 fire at the sawmill.
By comparison, the 12 privately owned lots on Queensway, 1.75 acres total, were purchased by the city for $60,000.
Developer says he'll build around covenant
By Daily Courier Staff
Edmonton developer Phil Milroy says he is reworking his plans for the $250-million Lawson’s Landing to respect the Simpson covenant on Kelowna’s waterfront.
In a telephone interview Wednesday, Milroy told The Daily Courier there are three or four versions of the modified project.
He said they are different combinations of four and five residential/hotel towers to be constructed on the site which includes land now occupied by the Willow Inn, an office building next door, the former Royal Trust property adjacent to Kerry Park and portions of Queensway and Mill street.
“We think (there was) fairly small opposition to what we originally proposed (on the covenant land), but we wanted to figure a way to stay away from the Simpson covenant, a redesign to accommodate the sensitivities,” Milroy said.
“We have our chosen one (preferred option), but we will see what the city thinks of those, develop those and see what the community thinks. It will be as quick as we can do it, but there’s a lot of work to do.”<br>The options include reducing the footprint of the towers and making them higher, he said, adding all of the options will work on the site.
The timeframe to complete all phases of the project will now likely be six years instead of five, he said, and the price tag is “likely to creep up” from the original estimate of $250 million.
“I think that’s great,” said Kelowna lawyer/former alderman Tom Smithwick, who represents the Simpson family as well as Kelowna Yacht Club.
“The Simpson family has always said let’s just respect our heritage, respect the past, respect the covenant . . . which I don’t think is too much to ask.”<br>
Sharron Simpson, granddaughter of patriarch Stanley M. Simpson, added: “Well, that’s very interesting. It will be interesting to see how that plays out, whether it includes the parking lot at the end of Queensway. I don’t know if the city is buying that interpretation of the covenant.”<br>Coun. Sharon Shepherd, acting mayor, said Wednesday: “That’s good news. I had heard some rumours about that. It’s generated a lot of correspondence from the community. If he’s addressing the covenant, that would alleviate a lot of the concerns. Our (city council’s) only response has been we haven’t seen anything yet.”
Stanley M. Simpson sold his downtown property to the city in two blocks with a number of conditions: it would be used for civic or community purposes, and under no conditions would the city sell or use the property for commercial or industrial purposes.
The 2.4 acres of lakeshore west of Water Street were sold for $25,000 in the late 1940s and used for the Kelowna Yacht Club, a courthouse and public boat launch.
The eight-acre property between Water and Ellis streets, Doyle Avenue and a lane north of Queensway, was sold for $30,000 – essentially the cleanup cost after a October 1944 fire at the sawmill.
By comparison, the 12 privately owned lots on Queensway, 1.75 acres total, were purchased by the city for $60,000.
