News

Multi-Million Dollar Downtown Development Takes Next Step Forward

Posted On Mar 25, 2021

For Immediate Release 
March 25, 2021 
Kamloops, B.C.: First introduced back in September of 2020, City Gardens was a vision of local property management and development company Kelson Group to enhance Kamloops' downtown core. Since then, there have been modifications to the original plan based on community feedback. Kelson Group is now ready to reengage with the community to show the new plans, receive input, and submit for a development permit. 
"We have had the opportunity to pause and reflect on our vision for City Gardens," said Jason Fawcett, President of Kelson Group. "Since announcing our initial plans last fall, we have asked the community for their feedback and to gauge the collective level of interest. This input has helped us revise our plans to better reflect what our community has told us is important to them and what potential purchasers want."
Initially, the development had a mix of housing options and would provide approximately 435 suites for sale or rent. The revised plan now includes over 500 suites. The original plan envisioned the need to close the 400 block of Nicola Street. The revised plan reflects some of the community's concerns about parking and traffic flow, and the plans have been modified so that Nicola Street remains open. The design concept will still capture the essence of the downtown while also drawing from plants, trees, and nature to create an oasis with a pedestrian-first focus. 
 
"Our goal has always been to create a vibrant urban environment enhanced with green spaces and beautiful landscaping," said Fawcett. "Similar to the originally released plan, we are focused to ensure the development fits into the City's plans for the downtown core. We aspire to enhance the great culture of our downtown and help fill a need for housing for people who work at the hospital and in offices downtown. We also see this as an ideal development for young families and retirees because everything is so accessible from this central location." 
Kelson Group's survey is still open for feedback at www.kelsondowntownproject.ca and the revised rendering and visuals are there to view. The company has been busy attending a series of meetings with downtown businesses and neighbourhood associations and will be hosting a virtual Community Information Session for those interested to learn more. Justin Dyck, Station One Architects' lead architect on the project, will be on the Zoom call to answer questions. 
"Our firm is so impressed with the vision Kelson Group has for City Gardens and their willingness to engage with the community to share ideas and receive feedback," said Dyck. "This information session will give people a good sense of what Kelson Group would like to submit to the City's Planning and Development department, but first, we are all interested in the opportunity to hear additional feedback from the community and answer their questions." 
City Gardens Virtual Community Information Session 
March 29, 2021 
5:00 pm – 6:00pm 
To register for the virtual session and to submit questions, visit www.kelsondowntownproject.ca 
"We look forward to sharing the updates with our community," said Fawcett. "We also look forward to answering questions and encourage our community to submit questions when they register for the session. For those who cannot attend, we encourage them to visit the City Gardens site to provide feedback or email questions to citygardens@kelsongroup.com."