New UBC campus planned for downtown Kelowna

The University of British Columbia is expanding its Okanagan presence by building a new campus in downtown Kelowna. 

The university expanded from Vancouver to B.C.'s Interior in 2005 when the UBC Okanagan campus, near the Kelowna International Airport, was established. It started with 3,000 students and has now grown to 11,000, and is expected to host 20,000 students by 2040. 

"The campus has been very successful in attracting a lot of students and a lot of research activity and we've really outgrown our current space on campus," UBCO deputy vice-chancellor Deborah Buszard told CBC Daybreak South host Chris Walker. 

"We're continuing to build there but we are also very excited to have an opportunity to expand our activities into the city centre area."

Building a downtown location was the "logical next step," Buszard said, with UBCO having been a presence in the city for 15 years through involvement in community initiatives with local libraries, the hospital and the centre for the arts.

The campus will be located at the former Kelowna Daily Courier building, at 550 Doyle Ave., and is expected to have up to 100,000 square feet of floor space.

UBC, the City of Kelowna and local Indigenous communities will work together in the coming months to decide how best to use the space. Buszard said there will likely be large classrooms, food services, daycare services and research space.

The project still needs to go through rezoning and architectural planning, which Buszard said will take 12 to 18 months.

She anticipates the project will be complete in about four years.

Because the project is still in the planning stages, a total cost estimate has not been released. 

Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran said partnerships with post-secondary institutions are important for the local economy. 

"Vibrant, livable cities help post-secondary institutions attract top researchers, students and staff which are vitally important to their growth and reputation," he said.

"This will be a key piece of council's priority to continue developing a vibrant town centre."

He said it complements the city's Civic Block Plan, which aims to develop an area of town that houses civic and community spaces, like Interior Health, RCMP services and the Kelowna Community Theatre.