Patient housing and parking around Kelowna General Hospital in front of council

KELOWNA – Parking in the neighbourhood around Kelowna General Hospital looms large for city council next week when they must consider a pair of requests that affect availability in the immediate area.

Neighbours might not be happy but council will consider both an amendment of future land use plus a rezoning of property along Speer Street to allow construction of a 90-stall surface parking lot.

Parking around the hospital has long been a source of complaints from hospital users and area residents, a report to council by planner Lydia Korolchuk acknowledges.

The new parking lot will offset the loss of 62 stalls due to construction of JoAnna’s House on Abbott Street, which will provide 20 “hotel-style" rooms for families of people receiving treatment at the adjacent hospital.

The rooms are intended for people who cannot find affordable accommodation in Kelowna and will be managed by the Kelowna General Hospital Foundation.

For JoAnna’s House to get built, however, council must also change future land use and zoning of the property it will sit on.

Planning staff are recommending support for both projects, however the changes to future land use requires a minimum of five council votes to  proceed.

Kelowna council will consider both projects during its regular meeting at 1:30 p.m. Monday, August 13 in Kelowna City Hall.

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