Hotel Eldorado not the only obstruction to connecting Kelowna waterfront paths

Hotel Eldorado has become a flashpoint for public access to the Kelowna waterfront, and it’s part of city hall’s plan for several kilometres of connected waterfront paths.

The so-called Sapphire Shoreline plan would connect 27 kilometres of shoreline, but even near the Eldorado there are other obstructions.

A roughly one-kilometre stretch from the Cook Road boat launch to Truswell Park and the mouth of Mission Creek is in the works, but there are some hold-outs, namely, three private waterfront homes.

City hall is planning to negotiate with the homeowners on Capozzi Road so it can connect paths from Mission Shores to the newer Aqua condo project, a city spokesperson told iNFOnews.ca.

The path in front of Mission Group’s Aqua, immediately south of the boat launch, hasn’t been built yet, but the city has been preparing for that portion since acquiring the shoreline in 2023, the same year a judge ordered Hotel Eldorado to re-open its boardwalk.

Access to the boardwalk is once again locked in a court battle as the hotel’s owner, Argus Properties CEO Ted Callahan, attempts to block city hall from expropriating it. It’s not clear when a judge will hear the case.

Meanwhile, two of the Capozzi Road homes are for sale by the same owner, together listed at nearly $10 million. The other home is owned by diamond mogul Charles Fipke who, in 2022, lost in his effort to stop or downsize the Aqua condo project.

It’s just one set of hurdles facing the city’s “big idea” to connect its waterfront, with the plan intended to guide city parks projects into 2041. It currently envisions a waterfront path all the way through from Knox Mountain to the south of Hobson Beach Park.