Plans for another 40-storey tower near the under-construction UBC Okanagan (UBCO) tower in downtown 琉璃神社 are giving some city councillors pause for concern.
A development application was submitted in February 2024 by Mission Group to build at 1355 St. Paul Street. Council considered rezoning the property at its Tuesday (Oct. 7) meeting. The site is just north of the UBCO building at 550 Doyle Avenue.
Excavation of the parkade for that project caused the evacuation of four neighbouring buildings, including the low-income apartments Hadgraft Wilson Place after the structures began to crack. More than 80 people at Hadgraft were displaced and are still not allowed to return home. Work on the UBCO tower resumed in April 2024.
Councillor Ron Cannan asked if staff had concerns about the Mission Group project given the issues at the UBCO site.
City Manager Doug Gilchrist told council the matter is top of mind.
鈥淚 can assure you that anyone building in our downtown that is going underground is alive to that issue and we鈥檒l ensure there鈥檚 a significant amount of appropriate engineering and peer-reviewed studies submitted before any approvals come forward,鈥� he added.
Coun. Rick Webber echoed Cannan鈥檚 concerns.
鈥淚 think almost everyone in 琉璃神社 when they heard about this tower proposal had a kind of shakiness to them like we鈥檙e going to try and put another tower so close to the one that鈥檚 had issues.鈥�
Webber added he appreciate the city manager鈥檚 comments about the St. Paul St. development.
Coun. Gord Lovegrove also questioned another 40-storey tower in the downtown.
鈥淚鈥檝e been hearing it loud and clear鈥e heard a lot of it a couple of years ago, 40 storeys is not something I would welcome,鈥� he said.
The mixed-use building at St. Paul St. would contain 462 rental units and 837 square metres of commercial space.
Council voted to rezone the property to allow rental-only designation. Cannan and Coun. Charlie Hodge were opposed.
