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UPDATE: Stalled Kelowna highrise project gets new life

Kerkhoff Construction has officially assumed full control of the former Lucaya highrise site in the heart of downtown Kelowna.
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Aerial view of the current construction at 1151 Sunset Drive in Kelowna.

Kerkhoff Construction announced July 18 that, a month previous, it had officially assumed full control of the former Lucaya highrise site on Sunset Drive in Kelowna.

In a press release Kerkhoff announced it had renamed the building 1151 Sunset Drive, based on its street address, and that construction on the 21-storey highrise was to begin as soon as possible.

CORRECTION:

"1151 Sunset Drive is the largest concrete tower to be built in Kelowna since the Skye Tower was sold and construction started in 2008. It is not the largest by unit count in downtown Kelowna as previously stated. "

 

It will include 117 condos and seven townhomes, designed to provide housing to the local market and those impacted by the rising costs of living in Vancouver.

The site has been dormant since 2008. Kerkhoff said it plans to launch its presentation centre by mid-August at the former Waterscapes Sales Centre at 1001 Manhattan Drive.

“We have heard from many Kelowna residents that they are happy to finally see construction taking place, as they have been patiently waiting for progress at the site for a number of years,” Leonard Kerkhoff, vice-president of Kerkhoff Construction, said in the press release.

Kerkhoff built the first highrise condo in Kelowna, Executive House, in 1980. Recognizing that projects require a wide range of expertise, Kerkhoff embraces a philosophy of collaboration, and has teamed up with other local experts to ensure the project is a success.

Fifth Avenue Real Estate Marketing Ltd. has been engaged to promote 1151 Sunset Drive. The company specializes in marketing and sales of new residential communities for developers throughout B.C.

Additionally, Kelowna-based Epic Real Estate Solutions Inc.,  a real estate project marketing and sales brokerage, is working as a preferred cooperating agent in the local market. Epic is led by president Mark West, who has over 25 years of residential and resort real estate project marketing and sales expertise.

“We see 1151 Sunset as a milestone development that will set the stage for the consistent and sustainable urban development of Kelowna’s downtown,” West said.

1151 Sunset Drive is being designed by Meiklejohn Architects, one of the leading architectural practices in the Okanagan Valley. Meiklejohn is an award-winning practice with offices in Penticton and Kelowna and is deeply committed to sustainable architecture. In 2004, Jim Meiklejohn became the first architect in the British Columbia Interior to achieve LEED® accreditation.