A six-storey Hyatt House hotel could soon rise above Highway 97 North, offering 125 rooms and direct access to the Okanagan Rail Trail (ORT).
The project is currently in front of city planners. No rezoning is needed for the site at 2800 Highway 97 N., as it is already zoned for vehicle-oriented commercial use.
One of the key selling points of the proposal is its location next to the ORT. Guests would be able to walk, bike, or roll into downtown Kelowna in under 30 minutes. The hotel is also close to McCurdy Corner, Scandia, UBC Okanagan, and the airport.
Documents submitted by Urban Options Planning state that the application lines up with several pillars of Kelowna’s 2040 Official Community Plan (OCP), including growing along transit corridors, supporting tourism, and promoting sustainable transportation.
It’s designed to support visitors arriving by bike, bus, or car, with long and short-term bike parking and 127 parking stalls, and EV charging.
Two variances are part of the proposal. One would reduce the number of trees required in the landscape plan, and the other would cut the number of loading stalls from four to two.
Developers say the shape of the lot makes traditional landscaping tricky, but they’ve added a variety of greenery, including 47 trees, drought-tolerant plants, and a small pocket park near the corner of Highway 97 and McCurdy Road.
The hotel will not include a public restaurant, but will have dining facilities for guests. Outdoor features will include a sports court, patio, and play area.
If approved, this would be the second Hyatt product in Kelowna — after Hyatt Place at the corner of Enterprise Way and Spall Road — and the first Hyatt House in B.C.
Hyatt House is designed for extended stays, while Hyatt Place focuses on shorter stays and a focus on business travellers.
City staff and council will review the proposal in the coming weeks.
