Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Adam Donnelly

CITY PLANNING

Developers betting big on densification projects throughout Kamloops

Apr 3, 2023 | 4:05 PM

KAMLOOPS — It’s an empty lot right now. However, ARPA Investments plans to turn a spot at the corner of Tranquille Road and Clapperton Road into another thriving mixed-use hub in the heart of the North Shore.

“With COVID and people working from home, we’ve decided to really focus on something similar to The Station on Tranquille,” ARPA’s Joshua Knaak says. “Two floors of commercial and four floors of residential.”

Knaak says he’s seen a transformation in the neighbourhood since the first residents moved into The Station back in 2019.

“Having people parked and walking on the streets at night, in the evenings — I mean, Bright Eye (Brewing) open until 11:00 pm certainly makes a difference,” Knaak says. “Having people living in that space, taking their dogs for a walk, going for their own recreation, certainly makes a difference in what happens on the street at night.”

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The Kelson Group’s 24-story tower Trillium at City Gardens is slated for competition in early 2025 and will feature more than 150 units. Once the entire City Gardens project is complete, it will mean more than 500 homes within a one-square block area. That type of densification could be transformative for the city’s downtown core.

“It’s just going to make the downtown so much more vibrant,” Jason Fawcett, President of Property Management for the Kelson Group, tells CFJC Today. “People will be walking, just being able to use all the great features we see downtown, whether it’s the theatre or getting to the parks. We think it;’s going to really transform downtown.”

Injecting that many new units into the city’s housing supply could create opportunities for folks looking to buy in other parts of the city, as well.

“There is a shortage, prices are high, and we’re hoping that this development might help make Kamloops a little bit more affordable and just give more options for people who want to live here,” Fawcett says. “In particular, downtown.”

The demolition of the former Northbridge Hotel is slated for this month, which means another sizeable parcel will be available for development later this year. Knaak belives developers are starting to realize the potential the neighbourhood has.

“I see they’ve started digging now for the A Way Home Kamloops project [Katherine’s Place], and even on Elm St. We’ve got two projects going on Elm right now, there’s another one being built, there’s another property just up from us that’s going up for development permits,” Knaak says. “[Tranquille] already looks a lot different when you drive down it, and in three, four years’ time, we’re going see quite a difference here.”

ARPA Investments hopes to get construction underway at Clapperton and Tranquille by early springtime 2024 at the latest.